President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said territorial issues, which Russia links to ending the war and security guarantees, can only be discussed at the level of the leaders of Ukraine and Russia. At the same time, Kyiv is prepared to consider certain compromise formats, including demilitarized zones, but final decisions cannot be made by negotiating teams.
This was reported by Ukrinform.
According to Zelenskyy, Ukraine’s partners have not gone deeply into the territorial issue because they know it is a “red line” for Kyiv.
“These issues can only be discussed by the leaders of the states that are at war, and only at their level. No one else has the authority,” the president said.
US proposed demilitarized zones
Zelenskyy said that as early as the so-called “28-point plan,” the US side had proposed creating demilitarized zones.
Among the options discussed were parts of Donbas and the Kinburn Spit. In particular, there was a proposal to create a buffer or demilitarized zone on both sides of the line of contact.
“As a compromise, we were ready to discuss this,” Zelenskyy said.
Regarding the Kinburn Spit, he said the US side proposed making part of the territory demilitarized and placing it under Ukrainian control.
The president also noted that the issue of demilitarized zones was raised again during talks connected with the so-called “diesel deal.”
According to Zelenskyy, however, there has been no further progress on the issue so far.
Abu Dhabi meeting depends on the US
Separately, the president said that holding a trilateral meeting of the negotiating teams of Ukraine, the United States and Russia in Abu Dhabi now depends primarily on the US side.
According to him, both Ukraine and Russia have confirmed their readiness for such a format.
“Today, Abu Dhabi depends on the American side,” Zelenskyy said.
He explained that Washington’s main focus is currently on the situation in the Middle East.
The technical-level talks are expected to take place in the first half of November.
Russia appears serious about the meeting, partners say
Following the phone call between Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Vladimir Putin, the European leaders told Zelenskyy that, in their view, Moscow appears serious about holding talks in Abu Dhabi.
According to the president, possible topics for the meeting include initial de-escalation steps, particularly regarding energy infrastructure and the situation at sea, as well as prisoner exchanges and their return home.
The sides may also discuss the format of a possible future trilateral meeting at the level of the leaders.
“This is our agenda, which we discussed with our American partners,” Zelenskyy said.
Security guarantees for Ukraine remain a separate issue. According to the president, Kyiv expects such guarantees from both the United States and European partners, while Russia is also raising the issue of its own security guarantees.
Zelenskyy stressed that Ukraine is ready to discuss territorial issues that Russia continues to place on the negotiating agenda, but this requires direct dialogue at the highest level rather than only exchanges of draft documents between negotiating teams.
Earlier, “Glavnoe in Ukraine” reported that Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced a new round of talks between Ukraine, the United States and Russia in November. The sides are expected to discuss the future format of negotiations and possible steps toward de-escalation.
