Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on the 25th of January that the US security guarantee document is fully prepared and Kyiv is waiting for the right time and place to sign it, the Reuters reports.
Thus, Zelensky made it clear that the talks with Russia, which took place in Abu Dhabi over the weekend, have brought some progress.
During an official visit to Lithuania, the Ukrainian President emphasized that security guarantees for Kiev are first and foremost those that the United States can provide. The document describing them is fully prepared, and the Ukrainians are waiting for the partners’ approval of the place and time of signing. After that, it will be submitted for ratification to the US Congress and the Ukrainian parliament.
On the 23rd and 24th of January, Ukrainian and Russian negotiators held the first trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi, which were also attended by US representatives.
The aim of the talks is to agree on framework for ending Russia’s nearly four-year-long aggression,
but no final agreement has been reached.
However, both Moscow and Kiev have indicated that they are ready for further dialogue, and discussions are scheduled to continue on the 31st of January. Zelensky said that problematic issues of the US peace plan are being discussed in Abu Dhabi, and stressed that there are now fewer of them left. He said that Moscow wants to do everything possible to ensure that Ukrainians give up the eastern regions of the country, which the Russians have not managed to completely conquer, but Kyiv is not going to give them up, and the country’s territorial integrity must be preserved.
Zelensky added that there are two fundamentally different positions – those of Ukraine and Russia – and the Americans are trying to find a compromise.
Read also: Orbán slams Zelensky; faces tough election at home