Ukrainian President Voldymyr Zelensky has discovered details from the tripartite talks in Abu Dhabi, suggesting Russian representatives have claimed Moscow has also taken control of half of the Donbas currently held by Ukraine.
During a conversation with reporters, Zelensky said he was informed of these claims after receiving the second report from the Ukrainian team participating in negotiations in the Middle East, Telegraph broadcasts.
They told me that the Russians thought and said they’d already captured half of Donbas, who is still controlled by us. Our team said: We don’t know how you can say such things. We have film footage, photographs and other evidence that these areas are under our control, Zelensky said.
Russia controls much of the Donbas region, but in the past it has demanded that all territory be handed over under a possible peace agreement. Kiev has repeatedly rejected this request.
Zelensky named this disagreement of claims as one of the main problems in the negotiations, adding that Russian President Vladimir Putin is living in another reality.
He said he could even claim that Ukraine has occupied Russia’s entire territory, but such a declaration would not be true.
According to Zelensky, the US side has confirmed the Ukrainian delegation’s claims regarding the control of these territories.
For the Ukrainian president, these disagreements indicate that talks in Abu Dhabi are not enough to resolve key war issues. He praised that progress requires the development of direct negotiations among leaders.
Source Layer: Insander