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Efforts to bring an end to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine are showing some promising signs of progress, though significant obstacles remain on the road to a lasting resolution, a top Kremlin official indicated on Monday.
Recent discussions in Abu Dhabi, involving representatives from Ukraine, Russia, and the United States, have been deemed productive, with another meeting scheduled for next week, according to Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesperson, who addressed the media.
While no substantial breakthroughs have been reported yet, Peskov noted, “The fact that these discussions have commenced positively is a good sign, though there is still considerable work to be done ahead.”
Details of the meetings held on Friday and Saturday remain scarce, with these discussions forming part of a year-long initiative by the Trump administration to encourage both sides towards a peace agreement and to conclude nearly four years of intense conflict.
Although Ukrainian and Russian officials have generally accepted Washington’s proposals for compromise, there remains significant divergence between Moscow and Kyiv regarding the specifics of such an agreement.
In the meantime, the protracted conflict along the approximately 600-mile frontline in eastern and southern Ukraine continues, with Ukrainian civilians facing another harsh winter following Russian attacks on cities. These ongoing struggles underscore the urgency for a diplomatic resolution.
U.S. President Donald Trump has set out deadlines for an agreement and threatened additional sanctions on Moscow, but Russian President Vladimir Putin apparently hasn’t budged from his public demands.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also described the Abu Dhabi talks as constructive. He added Sunday that a document setting out U.S. security guarantees for Ukraine in a postwar scenario is “100% ready,” although it still needs to be formally signed.
Kyiv has insisted on postwar American security commitments as part of any broader peace agreement with Moscow after Russia’s 2014 illegal annexation of Crimea and support for separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine, followed by its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Zelenskyy has acknowledged that there are fundamental differences between Ukrainian and Russian positions, though he said last week that peace proposals are “nearly ready.”
A central issue is whether Russia should keep or withdraw from areas of Ukraine its forces have occupied, especially Ukraine’s eastern industrial heartland called the Donbas, and whether it should get land there that it hasn’t yet captured.
Negotiators will return to the United Arab Emirates on Feb. 1 for another round of talks, according to a U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. The weekend talks covered a broad range of military and economic matters and included the possibility of a ceasefire before a comprehensive deal, the official said.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said Monday that air defenses downed 40 Ukrainian drones late Sunday and early Monday, including 34 over the Krasnodar region and four over the Sea of Azov.
Krasnodar officials said drone fragments fell on two industrial plants in the city of Slavyansk, sparking fires that were extinguished. One person was injured, they said.
By contrast, Ukraine’s general staff said an oil refinery in the Krasnodar region was targeted by Ukrainian forces. The facility supplied the Russian military, it added.
Russian forces launched 138 drones at Ukraine overnight, 110 of which were shot down or suppressed, Ukraine’s air force said, and 21 of them hit targets in 11 locations.
