Tehran - BORNA - Kiev would like to discuss the terms of a ceasefire in the next round of the Abu Dhabi talks, the RBC-Ukraine news agency reported, citing a source familiar with the negotiation process.
According to him, the first round of consultations was an introductory session. The delegations met once again later and decided to split into two subgroups, a political and a military one. The two groups held talks separately.
"[The military subgroup] discussed the need for the disengagement of forces, ways to monitor a ceasefire, the creation of a ceasefire control and coordination center, and what countries could participate," the RBC-Ukraine quoted the source as saying. The news agency added that the military subgroup was expected to prepare the parties’ ceasefire proposals.
The media outlet added, however, that the political subgroup had been unable to make significant progress: points of disagreement are limited but crucial.
The second round of talks on resolving the Ukraine conflict is set to be held in the Emirati capital of Abu Dhabi on February 4—5. The trilateral consultations will involve the delegations of Russia, the United States and Ukraine. Earlier, Vladimir Zelensky announced changes to the work of Ukraine's negotiation team but did not provide any details.
Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov, in turn, said that the same security team would represent Russia in the negotiations as in the first round of talks held on January 23—24, when it was led by Igor Kostyukov, head of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces. He pointed to the sensitive nature of the consultations, adding that "all key issues are resolved in private." Peskov described the talks as "extremely difficult."
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