Ukraine peace negotiations in Abu Dhabi concluded with no major compromises reached between Kyiv and Moscow, Nettavisen reported.
US mediators facilitated direct talks on November 10 and 11, the first direct discussions between Russia and Ukraine in nine months. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy repeatedly stated his desire for a ceasefire that freezes the current frontline.
Russian demands stretch far beyond the existing battle lines, according to military analyst Anders Puck Nielsen. – What Putin has said is that if Ukraine gives Russia the remaining part of Donbas, Russia is willing to have a ceasefire while negotiations are ongoing on the rest of Russia’s demands for a peace deal, Puck Nielsen points out, told Nettavisen.
Kyiv rejected demands to cede the entire eastern Donbas region. Reuters summarized on November 12 that the two sides showed no signs of vital compromises.
Moscow demands wider European security overhaul
Russian officials continue referencing a June 2024 speech by Vladimir Putin outlining expansive conditions for permanent peace. Moscow demands international recognition of Crimea and four partly occupied Ukrainian regions as Russian territory.
Additional Kremlin conditions include severe restrictions on future Ukrainian military capabilities and a permanent ban on military alliances. Putin also demands the “denazification” of Ukraine, which Puck Nielsen interprets as a direct call for regime change.
European security architecture remains a central focus for the Kremlin. Moscow insists that major powers redraw spheres of influence across the continent and roll back NATO’s footprint to mid-1990s levels.
– I Russlands øyne er det stormaktene, altså de selv og USA, som bestemmer over Europa, sa Puck Nielsen to Nettavisen.
Zelenskyy rejects Russian security claims
President Zelenskyy addressed the Danish Folketing in Copenhagen, where he expressed sharp frustration regarding Russian demands. He criticized Moscow’s insistence on security guarantees during his parliamentary address. – We keep hearing that Russia allegedly needs security guarantees – despite the fact that no one has attacked Russia for many decades, said Volodymyr Zelenskyy, president of Ukraine, to the Danish parliament.
Zelenskyy argued that the Kremlin’s true objective is maintaining unchecked influence over neighboring states. He asserted that Putin aims to preserve personal power through an imperialist worldview.