Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that he has accepted the U.S. offer to organize a new round of talks next week to end the war with Russia. The new round of negotiations is expected to focus on the issue of Ukrainian territory.
Zelensky stated on Wednesday in an interview with Bloomberg that the next round of Russia-U.S.-Ukraine negotiations is set to take place next week, either on Tuesday or Wednesday. The Russian side has not yet confirmed its agreement, he specified, according to Ukrainska Pravda.
The Ukrainian President announced on Saturday that the U.S. proposed a new round of talks in Miami in a week, which Kiev agreed to.
Territorial Discussions
According to the Ukrainian President, negotiators are expected to focus, during the discussions, on the issue of territory, which remains unresolved.
The agenda for the new round of talks includes the U.S. proposal to establish a free economic zone as a buffer zone in the Donbas region, an option viewed with skepticism by both Kiev and Moscow, as reported by Bloomberg.
"Neither party is enthusiastic about the idea of a free economic zone - neither the Russians, nor us. We have different opinions on this matter. And the agreements were as follows: to come back with a vision of how it could look for the next meeting," Zelensky stated in the mentioned interview.
How Kiev and Moscow View the Donbas Issue
The leader in Kiev emphasized that Ukraine's preferred option regarding Donbas is for troops to remain in position along the front line.
On the other hand, Moscow maintains its demand to control the entire region. Regarding discussions on control of the buffer zone, the U.S. needs to clarify its position, said the Ukrainian leader. "If it's our territory - and it is our territory - then the country to which the territory belongs should govern it," Zelensky said as cited by the source.
Ukraine Seeks Security Guarantees
Ukraine is focusing on obtaining Western security guarantees to deter future Russian aggressions once a ceasefire comes into effect.
According to Ukraine's Foreign Minister, Andrii Sîbiga, the U.S. has confirmed to Ukraine that they are prepared to ratify security guarantees in Congress, then provide protection to support the peace agreement, although there will be no American troops on the ground in Ukraine.
However, Russia now also seeks security guarantees, which could further complicate the negotiations.
Progress So Far
The discussions on February 4 and 5 in Abu Dhabi focused on ceasefire mechanisms and how they would be monitored by the U.S., Zelensky added. Furthermore, the discussions clarified that any ceasefire would require monitoring involving U.S. participation. "The Russians have one formulation, we have another, the Americans have a third," Zelensky stated to Bloomberg.
Following the talks in the United Arab Emirates, the U.S. and Russia agreed to resume high-level military dialogue.