Russia-Ukraine talks resume for a second day
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Sowetan
Russian, Ukrainian and US delegations resumed peace talks in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday for their second day. The meetings are due to end on Wednesday, with no sign of a major compromise after the first day, according to Sowetan, citing officials attending the negotiations.
Russian, Ukrainian and US delegations resumed a second day of talks on the war in Ukraine in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, with no sign of a major compromise after a first day that Washington deemed productive. Rustem Umerov, Ukraine’s chief negotiator, said the discussions would begin in a trilateral format with the US and Russia before a separate meeting with European partners.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday’s discussions had covered humanitarian and security issues as well as the possibility of a summit between Russian, Ukrainian and US leaders. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the first day as very productive, while Moscow and Kyiv remain far apart on several conditions for a settlement, including Ukraine’s neutral status, possible NATO membership and security guarantees.
The negotiations are continuing as both sides have reported new attacks. Ukrainian Prime Minister Sergii Koretskyi said Russia had struck six major electricity substations in four regions of central Ukraine. Tass reported that drone debris killed two people in Russia’s Smolensk region, and Russia’s Defence Ministry said it had struck a cargo ship carrying weapons for the Ukrainian army in the Black Sea, claims Reuters was unable to verify.
The resumption follows the US-backed talks in Abu Dhabi on 10 November. It also follows Rubio’s assessment that the Russia-Ukraine talks were very productive on 10 November.
