Ukraine says first day of peace talks with Russia productive'

"Rustem Umerov, the head of Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council, described Wednesday's negotiations in Abu Dhabi as substantive and productive. Talks are due to continue into a second day, his spokesperson Diana Davityan said, though no major advance towards ending the nearly four-year war was announced. The positive outlook came despite fears the talks would be marred by a new wave of Russian attacks on Ukraine."

"Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in an evening address, said it was imperative the talks yield concrete results and that he anticipated a prisoner exchange in the near future. People in Ukraine must feel that the situation is genuinely moving toward peace and the end of the war, not toward Russia using everything to its advantage and continuing attacks, Zelenskyy said."

"The Kremlin said that the doors for a peaceful settlement are open, but that Moscow will continue its military assault until Kyiv agrees to its demands. The central hurdle in ending the war is the status of embattled eastern Ukraine, where Russia continues to make slow, painstaking advances. Moscow is demanding that Kyiv withdraw its forces from large parts of the Donbas, including heavily fortified cities atop vast natural resources, as a precondition to any deal."

United States-mediated talks between Ukrainian and Russian officials convened in Abu Dhabi and continued into a second day with negotiators calling the first day substantive and productive. Kyiv's negotiators expect the talks to yield practical steps, including a near-term prisoner exchange. The negotiations proceeded despite fresh Russian attacks that killed civilians and damaged Kyiv's power infrastructure amid freezing temperatures. Kyiv demands concrete progress toward peace and an end to the nearly four-year war. The Kremlin frames talks as open while continuing military action until Kyiv meets Russian demands. The main sticking point remains the status and control of eastern Ukraine's Donbas region.

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