Kremlin has made clear that no lasting settlement is possible unless territorial questions are addressed…reports Asian Lite News
Russia has agreed to move forward with the next round of diplomatic engagement with the United States and Ukraine, confirming that senior security talks will take place in Abu Dhabi on Friday. However, the Kremlin has made clear that no lasting settlement is possible unless territorial questions are addressed, underlining how far apart the sides remain despite renewed dialogue.
The announcement followed a late-night meeting in Moscow between President Vladimir Putin and a delegation of US envoys, a discussion that stretched nearly four hours and marked one of the most detailed exchanges between the two sides since the conflict began. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov described the talks as “useful” and “extremely frank”, signalling a willingness to continue diplomacy while tempering expectations of any immediate breakthrough.
According to Ushakov, Russia’s delegation to the three-way security talks will be led by Admiral Igor Kostyukov, head of military intelligence, highlighting the strategic weight Moscow is placing on the discussions. Separately, Russia’s investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev is scheduled to meet US representative Steve Witkoff to explore economic issues, suggesting parallel tracks of negotiation on security and reconstruction.
Despite the forward movement, Ushakov reiterated that the territorial issue remains the central sticking point. He said President Putin stressed that a long-term settlement would be impossible without resolving borders “according to the formula agreed upon in Anchorage”, referencing the framework discussed during last year’s Trump–Putin summit in Alaska. Without progress on that front, Moscow insists any peace would be fragile and temporary.
While expressing what he described as a sincere interest in a diplomatic solution, Putin also made clear that Russia would continue pursuing its military objectives until an agreement is reached. Ushakov noted that the Russian armed forces currently hold the strategic initiative on the battlefield, a reality Moscow believes strengthens its negotiating position.
On the American side, the talks were attended by Steve Witkoff, along with Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, who has previously held direct discussions with Putin in the Kremlin. They were joined by Josh Gruenbaum, a newly appointed senior adviser to Trump’s Board of Peace, the initiative the US president has positioned as a new mechanism for resolving global conflicts.
The Moscow meeting forms part of a broader push by Trump to end the war in Ukraine, now approaching its fourth year and widely regarded as Europe’s most devastating conflict since World War Two. While the renewed talks offer a rare opening for dialogue, Russia’s emphasis on territorial recognition underscores the complexity of translating diplomatic engagement into a lasting peace.
