Trilateral discussions recently resumed in Abu Dhabi, accompanied by American diplomatic visits with Vladimir Putin in Moscow and Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Dublin. Russia has signaled it might accept European participation in future negotiations, but it has not committed to an expanded format for the upcoming round. European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas dismissed Moscow's preconditions, asserting that Russia cannot dictate European representation and is merely trying to evade strong counterparts to advance maximalist demands.
Key points
Moscow is prioritizing a broad European security settlement over a temporary ceasefire to…: Moscow is prioritizing a broad European security settlement over a temporary ceasefire to resolve the war.
Deep diplomatic friction and years of sanctions complicate who might eventually represent…: Deep diplomatic friction and years of sanctions complicate who might eventually represent Europe at future peace talks.
Core territorial disagreements remain entirely unresolved despite incremental progress re…: Core territorial disagreements remain entirely unresolved despite incremental progress reported during the latest discussions in the United Arab Emirates.
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The comment by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov suggests Russia has not yet committed to including Europeans in the next round of talks, despite US negotiators saying on Thursday that President Vladimir Putin had agreed to their participation.
The talks have so far involved Russian, Ukrainian and US officials, who met in Abu Dhabi this week for the first time in nine months. Two US envoys then flew to Moscow to meet Putin and later met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Dublin.
Asked if peace talks would soon resume with the added participation of Europeans, Peskov said: "Once we understand their genuine intention and readiness to contribute to the peace process, then it will be possible to make a decision on holding dialogue on a Ukrainian settlement in an expanded format."
European involvement would mark a new phase in efforts to end the nearly five-year-old conflict, which has defied attempts by US President Donald Trump to secure a peace agreement.
Russia's relations with European powers are dire. European states have armed Ukraine and imposed sanctions on Moscow, and most have shunned…
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