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Discussions between Russia and Ukraine mediated by the US have kicked off in Abu Dhabi with Donbas being a key issue for the trilateral talks.
UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan (C) speaking with the heads of delegations participating in the UAE-hosted trilateral talks between the US, Russia and Ukraine, at the Al Shati Palace in Abu Dhabi. (AFP)The talks come a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Davos, Switzerland flagged Europe's inaction to end the war that started after Russian invasion in 2022.
Zelensky also said that a potential peace deal was “nearly ready,” but highlighted certain sticking points such as those related to territorial issues being unresolved, the Associated Press reported.
He also had an hour-long closed-door meeting with US President Donald Trump after which Trump said the session had gone well and that both Russia and Ukraine were “making concessions” to try to end the war.
Unresolved territorial issues remain of particular concern for sealing the peace deal as Zelensky described the issue of who would control the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine as “key", per the report.
Why is Donbas a point of contention?Donbas, an eastern Ukrainian region, and Moscow's long-standing demand has been that Kyiv gives up the parts of the region under its control. Two coal-rich eastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, comprise the Donbas region. The region is rich in mineral deposits, has fertile agricultural lands. It is known for steel manufacturing and is well connected to the Sea of Azov by rivers and man-made canals.
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While Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to take control of the region, Zelensky is holding his ground.
“It’s all about the eastern part of our country, it’s all about the land,” Zelensky was quoted as saying by CNN . Zelensky made it clear at Davos that Ukraine was not going to hand over parts of its territory to Russia.
The issue is expected to be the hardest part of the talks, as Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov made it clear on Thursday that Russia is not willing to compromise.
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Ushakov reportedly said that "reaching a long-term settlement can't be expected without solving the territorial issue.”
Russian spokesperson Dmitry Peskov also said that Moscow had already made its position clear and that Kyiv must withdraw its troops from the Donbas region.
Trilateral talks in UAEUS envoys Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner are attending the talks in UAE that will conclude on Saturday. From Ukraine, Rustem Umerov, head of Ukraine's national security and defence council; Andrii Hnatov, chief of the general staff; and Kyrylo Budanov, head of the presidential office, are participating in the talks.
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Russian delegation is led by the chief of military intelligence, Adm. Igor Kostyukov with other members of the defence ministry, AP reported citing Kremlin which did not elaborate on Russian entourage for the talks. Putin's envoy Kirill Dmitriev also is attending.
Before the talks, Ukraine said that Russia carried out strikes that killed three people in the Kharkiv region and four people in the east. Further, Russia intensified strikes on Ukraine's energy system, which has cut power and heating to major cities, including Kyiv.