Odesa (Ukraine)/Moscow, (EFE).- This Friday, Ukrainians and Russians began discussions with the mediation of the United States. In Abu Dhabi, direct exchanges were held from the meetings they had in July in Istanbul, after the Kremlin made it clear that no agreement would be reached to end the conflict if Kiev did not withdraw its troops from the area it controls in the Donbas. “The Armed Forces of Ukraine must leave the territory of the Donbas and be withdrawn from there.” «This is a condition» for resolving the conflict, stated Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov during his telephone press conference. Peskov made these assertions before the meeting in the Emirati capital commenced, which is the first trilateral meeting between representatives of Ukraine, Russia, and the United States since the start of the conflict. This followed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s meeting in Moscow with US mediators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to discuss the possibility of reaching a peace agreement with Kiev. In his address to the nation, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky noted on Friday that it is “premature to make judgements about the content” of the negotiations that took place today in the Emirates. “We will observe how the talks progress tomorrow and what outcomes are achieved,” he added. The Ukrainian president stated that it is crucial not only for Ukraine to want to end this war and achieve security, but also for Russia to share that goal. Additionally, Zelensky had met the day before with Witkoff at the World Economic Forum in Davos, pointing out that the division of the Donbas is the only obstacle left to overcome to achieve an agreement to end the conflict. After his meeting in Davos with US President Donald Trump, Zelensky expressed his hope that both parties would present their proposals in Abu Dhabi to resolve this issue. Kiev has so far rejected conceding to Russia more territory than what the Kremlin has taken by force, although it has shown readiness to consider the creation of a demilitarised zone in those areas, provided certain conditions are met. Located in eastern Ukraine, the Donbas comprises the administrative areas of Luhansk and Donetsk. Russia controls almost the entire Luhansk region and more than 75% of Donetsk.
