Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned that his country is “not real estate” as the second and final day of US-brokered peace talks ended.
Speaking to reporters in Denmark late on Tuesday, Zelensky said he was “satisfied” with what he heard during peace talks between Russian and Ukrainian representatives in Abu Dhabi, but said he had made it clear to U.S. special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner: “This is our country, not real estate.”
His comments came amid discussions about Ukraine’s future borders and postwar security, issues on which the two countries remain far apart.
“Everyone is ready for dialogue. The first thing is to stop the war in Ukraine. The second thing is the security of Ukraine. The third thing is to have a dialogue on these security topics,” Zelensky said. “This sequence is very, very important.”
This comes after trilateral peace talks between Russia, Ukraine and the United States concluded on Wednesday for the first time since February.
In a press conference after the meeting, Kushner called the talks “productive” and said the two parties also discussed difficult issues of territorial boundaries. Meanwhile, Ukrainian negotiators said momentum was good and a solution could be reached by the end of the year.
A prisoner exchange was agreed
Vladimir Medinsky, Russia’s chief negotiator and close ally of President Putin, said on Wednesday that the two sides had reached an agreement on a major prisoner exchange and that details would be announced soon.
Mykola Bielieskov, a senior analyst with the Ukrainian NGO Come Back Alive, told CNBC on Tuesday that another exchange of prisoners would be welcome. “Otherwise, there is no room for compromise,” he said, adding, “We cannot expect much progress toward reconciliation.”
According to Bielieskov, Ukraine could accept a ceasefire on the current front, but would never formally recognize Russia’s sovereignty over the occupied territories. He argued that Zelensky had neither the legal authority nor the public support to hand over Ukrainian land, even if Kiev acknowledged that it would not be able to regain territory militarily in the short term.
He added that Russia’s demands for additional territory, restrictions on NATO membership and restrictions on Ukraine’s military remain fundamental obstacles to an agreement.
Russia has publicly maintained demands that Ukraine surrender the entire eastern region of Donbas, including territory not occupied by Russia.
Ukraine and its European allies have called for a ceasefire as a first step before moving on to issues such as security, borders and reconstruction, but Russia has said it believes it needs security before it can stop fighting.
Former U.S. Ambassador William Courtney told CNBC early Tuesday morning that “Russia opposed a ceasefire proposal put forth by Ukraine and the United States early last year, so the Trump administration no longer appears to be trying to achieve a ceasefire, even though that would logically be the first step.”
Kourtney said Russia has shown no signs of seriously pursuing a ceasefire in Ukraine, despite Kiev’s indications that it intends to freeze the conflict along current fronts.
He argued that Russia’s territorial claims and continued attacks suggest that Russia’s objectives have not changed, and that meaningful negotiations are unlikely unless Russia’s position and battlefield conditions change.
Maximilian Hess of political risk firm Enmetena Advisory told CNBC’s Dan Murphy on Wednesday, ahead of the second day of talks, that little has been achieved so far in the latest round of talks.
Zelensky has urged leaders to speak directly, but Hess said it was unlikely that Ukrainian leaders would agree to talks with Putin without meaningful concessions from Russia, given the risk of domestic backlash.
He argued that Putin could use a potential meeting with Trump and President Xi Jinping in China to seek further relief from U.S. sanctions, weakening U.S. support for Ukraine and deepening divisions within the West.
Regarding a possible meeting between Zelensky and Putin, Kushner said Russia’s position is “hopeful that further progress can be made before the meeting takes place.”
