(Deutsche Welle Chinese website) The delegations of the United States, Russia and Ukraine held the first day of trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, on Tuesday (November 10), which ended after four hours of intensive discussions. U.S. representatives Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff said there are "some good ideas" in bridging the differences between Moscow and Kiev's demands for a peace agreement. Talks will continue on Wednesday with a focus on future security. This is the first time the three parties have held such talks since February this year.
Participants: Europe only negotiates on the sidelines
The talks were mediated by Trump’s son-in-law Kushner and U.S. envoy Witkov. The Uzbek delegation was led by Chief Negotiator and Director of the Foreign Intelligence Service Rustem Umerov. The Russian delegation was led by Vladimir Medinsky, Putin’s assistant, and included Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov and Military Intelligence Director Igor Kostyukov.
The United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, NATO and the European Commission also sent representatives to Abu Dhabi, but they did not participate in the main talks and only held separate consultations with representatives of Ukraine and the United States on the sidelines.
Russia-Ukraine appeal: Territorial issue remains the biggest disagreement
Putin demanded that Ukraine withdraw its troops from the four regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporozhye and Kherson. Moscow illegally annexed the four states in September 2022, but does not take full control. He also demanded that Ukraine abandon its membership of NATO, limit the size of its military and lift restrictions on the Russian language and the pro-Moscow Orthodox Church. Putin has warned that if Kiev refuses to accept the demands, he will pursue them with force.
Zelensky refused to cede any territory that the Russian army failed to seize militarily, nor did he accept any restrictions on the size of the Ukrainian army or Ukraine's alliance with the West.
European position: Opposes to reshaping security architecture through peace talks
Trump said last week that a "very big deal" involving "all of Europe" would be reached. Kushner also said on Monday that a peaceful resolution would require direct dialogue between Russia and Europe on "broader security arrangements that affect both sides." A member of the Russian delegation said that the Ukrainian issue was "subordinate" to the main goal of establishing a "comprehensive and indivisible security architecture covering the entire European continent." Europe is therefore worried that the United States and Russia intend to join forces to reshape the European security order.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Monday that substantive discussions on the European security architecture can only take place after a ceasefire in Ukraine and must take place in "appropriate forums", especially with NATO allies and EU member states. German Foreign Minister Waldfurt said: "For Europe, it is clear: we do not need to build a new security architecture for Europe." Zelensky has also warned to prevent a "Yalta 2.0", a repeat of the situation in 1945 when Western leaders and the Soviet Union carved up Europe.
Negotiators from the United States, Europe and Ukraine issued a statement before the meeting, pledging to work together to build a "strong post-war European security architecture" and emphasizing that "a strong NATO will remain the core of Euro-Atlantic collective defense."
