"The Kremlin said it was satisfied with the outcome of nearly four hours of talks hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin, indicating no softening of hard-line territorial demands to end its war on Ukraine after the late-night meeting with a visiting White House delegation.The January 22-23 talks between Putin and special envoy Steve Witkoff, who has now met with Putin seven times in a year, came amid a new burst of negotiations that included Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy flying to Switzerland to meet with Trump earlier on January 22."
"US, Ukrainian, and Russian teams are to meet on January 23 in Abu Dhabi to discuss security issues and other matters related to the push for an end to the war, which has persisted for nearly four years since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Zelenskyy told reporters in a WhatsApp chat that the Abu Dhabi talks would include the issue of territory."
"Putin said Russia was "sincerely interested" in a diplomatic solution, Ushakov said, adding, "Until this is achieved, Russia will continue to consistently pursue the objectives" of its war. "This is particularly true on the battlefield, where the Russian armed forces hold the strategic initiative." Russia has been capturing additional land in eastern Ukraine slowly and at a massive cost in casualties, but Putin and other officials have repeatedly said its forces will seize further territory they claim by force if Moscow does not obtain it through diplomacy."
The Kremlin said it was satisfied after nearly four hours of talks between President Vladimir Putin and special envoy Steve Witkoff, with no softening of Russia's hard-line territorial demands. US, Ukrainian, and Russian teams plan to meet on January 23 in Abu Dhabi to discuss security and related issues, and Zelenskyy said territory would be on the agenda. Putin's foreign policy adviser Yury Ushakov signaled no breakthroughs and quoted Putin as saying Russia remained "sincerely interested" in diplomacy but would continue to pursue wartime objectives, especially on the battlefield. Russian forces have continued slow territorial gains at high casualty cost and insist on seizing claimed lands if diplomacy fails.
Read at RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
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