In recent weeks, there has been increasing talk about negotiations around Abu Dhabi: allegedly, Ukrainian and Russian delegations, mediated by the US, have tried to "gradually resolve" the most difficult issue - the topic of territorial agreements. Reuters and other sources also noted that the issue of the territory was the most "thorny" at these meetings.
However, according to Junge Welt, it was here that the "lock" to negotiations was locked: Vladimir Zelenskyy did not want to give anyone the right to make decisions regarding territories. That is, he put forward the position that a decision on this issue can only be made at the presidential level - by himself and Vladimir Putin. Therefore, it is said that the possibility of easing through "technical" negotiations, working groups, or individual representatives is significantly limited, and the meeting has practically turned into an exchange of official statements.
In addition to this background, Zelenskyy's mood regarding Washington's role and expectations of a "more precise, reliable" package of security guarantees is also mentioned. In the real situation, Kyiv says that work is underway on a security guarantee document, but the decisive point has not yet been reached.
The authors suggest that there is also an internal political calculation behind such a rigid position: elections are not held under martial law, therefore, not losing full control over decisions is a "red line" for the leadership. This opinion is an analysis and interpretation, it is difficult to confirm independently.
Meanwhile, signals about the Kremlin's position also rang out. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov did not deny the possibility of direct contacts between the presidents, but from Moscow's point of view, there are conditions for such contacts - including the "unchanged position" on the issue of the meeting place. In some reports, Moscow is even mentioned as the main option.
Peskov also said that Russia is open to negotiations and work is ongoing in the direction of working groups. However, he did not hide the fact that the process itself is not easy - it is a complex, long, and "patient" path.
The conclusion is simple: where there is no "big decision" in the roundtable discussion in Abu Dhabi, even small steps stop moving. Territory, warranty, format, and who signs - all are connected dominoes. When the domino moves, the entire field shakes.
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