Zelenskyj: Putin will bring up Sweden in the talks

Russia's goal is to reduce NATO's presence in Europe and redraw the map for the continent's security, says Volodymyr Zelenskyj in comments carried forward by, among others, RBK-Ukraine:

- I think Putin will talk about Finland and Sweden. I am convinced that he will bring up Hungary and the American presence in the Baltic States.

Zelenskyy spoke to a gathering of media on Friday, defying a so-called embargo that means the comments cannot be published until Saturday.

The Ukrainian president says he has received word from the United States that Vladimir Putin accepts that European representatives participate in the next round of negotiations. In a next step, European leaders need to decide who will lead their case, Zelenskyy underlines.

US mediators have put forward a proposal that Ukraine relinquish occupied territories to Russia - in exchange for Russia not objecting to Ukraine joining NATO.

- The Americans raised a question: If Ukraine joins NATO then? Should Ukraine withdraw from Donbass? It was the first time it was brought up, says Zelensky.

Discussions about what security guarantees Ukraine will receive in the event of a possible peace continue. Now, specific guarantees from NATO and the EU are being negotiated, according to Zelensky. If it becomes clear, he says he wants to "ask the Ukrainian people what they think" about the guarantees.

- I have no right to make that decision on my own, says the president.

Data from the tripartite talks held in Abu Dhabi earlier this week claim that Russia is sticking to demands it has made on Ukraine for a long time, both in terms of territory and the country's military cooperation, and that NATO is stepping back in Eastern Europe.

A document of Russian positions matches almost word for word the list of demands Vladimir Putin laid out two months before launching the major invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, reports The New York Times, which has seen a copy. Putin's "core issues", his motivation for starting the war, can be judged by this draft.

There have also been reports of tough demands on countries on NATO's eastern flank, including that Finland should leave NATO. That information has not been confirmed by those involved and denied in an initial comment from the Kremlin, but the Finnish government has nevertheless stated that the issue is not open to negotiation at all.