Despite some progress in discussions between U.S. government envoys and Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding the cessation of the war in Ukraine, Russia has asserted that a permanent peace can only be established once the current territorial disputes are resolved.
Russia has agreed to participate in a meeting scheduled for today in Abu Dhabi, alongside representatives from Ukraine and the United States, to work toward a peace accord. This follows extensive discussions held in Moscow last night between President Putin and senior U.S. officials.
Russian government spokesperson Yuri Ushakov stated that sustaining a peace agreement would be challenging without a mutual understanding on territorial borders. Specifically, Russia’s condition for ending the conflict involves Ukraine ceding 20 percent of the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine. Ushakov further signaled that Russia remains firm on this requirement.
However, Ukraine’s repeated rejection of this condition remains the primary obstacle to reaching a peace settlement. While Ushakov emphasized that Russia seeks a diplomatic and peaceful resolution to the war, he warned that military operations would persist if an agreement on territorial boundaries—which Russia considers vital to its national security—cannot be reached.
