• Source:JND

Russia-Ukraine-US Talks: Ukrainian, American and Russian negotiators on Friday held talks for the first time in almost four years, aiming to reach an all parties acceptable 'peace deal' amid intense war between Russia and Ukraine, which began on February 24, 2022. The crucial trilateral talks were held in the UAE's Abu Dhabi. However, the road ahead does not seem so smooth as Ukrainian and Russian negotiators showed no sign of a compromise on territorial issue.

The peace deal talks took place at a time when Russian strikes on Ukraine's energy system that have cut power and heating to major cities like Kyiv amid freezing temperatures.

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What Is Russia's Stand?

Russia is adamant to control entire eastern industrial area of Donbas before it stops the four-year-long war. Moscow's demand that Ukraine surrender the 20% it still holds of the Donetsk region of the Donbas has proven a biggest issue in the talks.

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What Is Ukraine's Stand?

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the territorial dispute would be a top priority of the talks in Abu Dhabi. "The question of Donbas is key. It will be discussed how the three sides. See this in Abu Dhabi today and tomorrow," he told reporters.

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What Is "Anchorage Formula"?

Reuters, quoting sources, said that Moscow is ready to consider the "Anchorage formula". Anchorage deal was reported accepted by US President Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin at a summit last August. The agreement says Russia would control all of Donbas and freez the current front lines elsewhere in Ukraine's east and south. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that Russia's insistence on Ukraine yielding the Donbas was "a very important condition".

What Trump Said On 'Peace Deal'

A yearlong push by the Trump administration to stop the fighting hasn't yielded any breakthrough, despite the American president issuing a series of deadlines, though efforts were set to continue. On conversation with Zelenskiy, Trump said, "We had a conversation. I've had numerous conversations on Ukraine. It would be nice to end the war. It costs us nothing. We make money. I don't want to make money, but we make money. Biden spent USD 350 billion stupidly and lost a lot of money. But it's not about the money. It's about 25,000 to 30,000 soldiers a month being killed."
(With agencies inputs)


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