The Ukraine settlement process is “very challenging” but work will continue, spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said
The latest trilateral talks between Russia, Ukraine, and the US in Abu Dhabi were challenging but constructive, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said.
The second round of three-way discussions on settling the Ukraine conflict was held on Wednesday and Thursday in the UAE. Like the first round in January, the negotiations were conducted behind closed doors, with no side sharing details of the process. However, Moscow confirmed Thursday that the sides had agreed to a prisoner exchange of 314 POWs, which took place later that day.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Peskov said the settlement process remains a work in progress.
“The work continues,” he stated. “We were working for two days. It was constructive and at the same time very challenging. It will go on.”
Also commenting on the talks, US special envoy Steve Witkoff called them “detailed and productive.” He announced that Moscow and Washington had agreed to restore a military-to-military dialogue, suspended prior to the escalation of the conflict, calling it “crucial to achieving and maintaining peace.”
Witkoff added that while “significant work remains,” steps such as the prisoner exchange “demonstrate that sustained diplomatic engagement is delivering tangible results.” He said he expected “additional progress” in the coming weeks.
Neither Russia nor the US has so far commented on the possible location or timing of the next round of talks. Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky on Thursday suggested the talks could be held in the US, but did not provide a timeline.
Both Russia and the US have previously confirmed that territorial issues remain the main sticking point in the peace process. Moscow insists any settlement must include Ukraine’s withdrawal from the Donbass regions of Donetsk and Lugansk, which voted to join Russia in 2022, while Kiev has refused to consider concessions.
Zelensky claimed this week that “Ukraine is ready” for substantive discussions on a settlement, although Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov expressed doubt in an RT interview on Wednesday, saying Zelensky “thinks about nothing except his own survival.” Lavrov accused Kiev of issuing ever new demands and its European backers of constantly “moving the goalposts” in the talks, stalling the peace process.
