Abu dhabi: Trilateral talks between Russia, Ukraine, and the United States began Friday in the UAE capital, Abu Dhabi, to discuss a settlement to end the war that has been ongoing for nearly four years. The talks will continue for two days as part of efforts to strengthen dialogue and find political solutions to the crisis that has resulted in immense human suffering.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, these talks are the first publicly announced direct negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv regarding the US plan to end the war that began in February 2022 between Moscow and Kyiv. The talks come after a meeting between US President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Zelensky in Davos, Switzerland, this week, and a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US envoy Steve Witkopf at the Kremlin yesterday.

Diplomatic efforts, particularly by Trump, have intensified in recent months to end the conflict. However, Moscow and Kyiv have yet to reach an agreement on the issue of the territories claimed by Russia. Russia has reiterated that it will not relinquish its demands for Kyiv’s withdrawal from the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated, “Russia’s position is perfectly clear: Ukraine and its armed forces must withdraw from the Donbas region. They must be pulled out of there.” He added, “This is a crucial condition.”

Both sides say that the issue of the eastern Ukrainian territories is one of the main obstacles to reaching a settlement to the war.