Ukrainian negotiator Arakhamia describes talks as among the toughest
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Al Jazeera
Ukrainian negotiator David Arakhamia, who leads Zelensky’s parliamentary faction, considers the trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi among the most difficult since 2022. He also says momentum towards a solution exists before the end of the year, while Moscow says it is optimistic; according to Al Jazeera, Kyiv is nonetheless negotiating from a position of weakness in the face of Russian strikes on its infrastructure.
David Arakhamia, Ukrainian negotiator and head of the parliamentary group of President Volodymyr Zelensky, considers the negotiations among the most difficult he has taken part in since 2022. According to him, the Russian delegation arrived with very strict instructions, and it was difficult to soften their tone.
Vladimir Medinski, a close aide of Vladimir Putin, says these talks have brought the two countries closer to peace. Arakhamia himself believes that momentum towards a solution is possible before the end of the year. According to Al Jazeera, this optimism is not accompanied by any sign of a change in the Russian position, and the Kremlin still demands a neutral, demilitarised Ukraine that respects the rights of its Russian-speaking population.
These remarks follow the trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi, under US mediation, in which Moscow and Kyiv took part. The Russian negotiator has, for his part, hardened his tone in recent days.
