MOSCOW – will continue next week, with no exact date set yet, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday.
Referring to the recent trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates, Peskov noted that amicable relations during the Ukraine negotiations are hardly feasible, but efforts must be made to secure tangible outcomes from the talks.
In expert-level talks, all parties must act constructively toward one another to seek progress, he said.
“It would be a mistake to expect significant progress from the first trilateral consultations on the Ukraine settlement, as serious work lies ahead,” he added.
He also stressed that individual provisions of the Ukraine negotiation process should not be discussed. “Negotiations are currently underway at the expert level, led by a working group. Talks in this direct format are in the initial stage. It would be inappropriate to speak about individual provisions of the issues on the agenda at this time.”
Russia and Ukraine held direct engagement during trilateral talks that concluded in Abu Dhabi Saturday. No concrete agreement or joint statement was announced following the two-day talks.
Zelensky: next trilateral talks to be held on Feb 1
said Monday that the next trilateral meeting between delegations from Ukraine, the United States and Russia could take place on Feb 1.
“Earlier we discussed that the teams would meet again on Sunday. It would be good if we could expedite this meeting,” Zelensky said in his evening address.
Ukraine will be fully prepared on all issues that need to be discussed and agreed upon at the meeting, he said, underscoring the country’s commitment to peace.
Representatives of Ukraine, the United States and Russia held their first trilateral meeting since the start of the Ukraine crisis on Jan 23 and 24 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Russia downs 109 Ukrainian drones
On the same day, Russia’s air defense forces shot down 109 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones and two guided aerial bombs in the past 24 hours, the Russian Ministry of Defense said in a statement.
The country’s operational-tactical aviation, strike drones, missile troops and artillery hit targets across 142 areas, including energy infrastructure facilities supporting Ukraine’s armed forces, ammunition depots, drone assembly sites, and temporary deployment points of Ukrainian military formations and foreign mercenaries, the ministry said.
Russia’s also destroyed a Ukrainian unmanned military craft in the central Black Sea, it said.