“All sides agreed to report back to their capitals on each aspect of the talks and to agree with the leaders on the next steps. The military have identified a list of issues for the upcoming meeting,” he noted.
Zelensky added that new meetings may take place next week. At the same time, the US delegation in Abu Dhabi suggested discussing how the conditions for ending the conflict could be approved and what security measures would be required for that.
According to Reuters, the Jan. 24 meeting started late and in a closed format. The talks were held in different groups and in Russian and English. The main and most difficult topic was the territorial issue and security guarantees. According to Reuters, there were no signs of convergence of positions on the first day. For the Kremlin, the key demand is the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the territory of Donbas, and this process should take into account the established security parameters.
On the first day of the trilateral meeting, the delegations discussed the creation of a buffer zone and control mechanisms, with Europe insisting that Kiev achieve an “energy truce.” It stipulates that Ukraine will receive guarantees that it will stop attacks on its energy infrastructure in exchange for not hitting oil tankers and refineries.
