In Abu Dhabi, the second day of negotiations between Moscow and Kiev mediated by Washington.
Politico writes that the issue of the territories may become one of the main topics for discussion today. On the first day, the delegations focused on security guarantees and prisoner exchanges. The negotiations on November 10 lasted 4.5 hours.
The results of the first round in Abu Dhabi are summarized by the western press.
The BBC reports that the positions of Moscow and Kiev on the end of the war are still very different. Russia has demanded that Ukraine give up the parts of Donbas it still controls, while Kiev wants to freeze the front line. Although neither side gave in to their demands, the channel's source suggested that this was only a public position and that Moscow and Kiev had shown "some flexibility in privacy." However, he admitted that the problem would not be solved without discussing a new "security architecture".
The Financial Times writes that Europe doubts a breakthrough in tripartite negotiations. However, the Europeans see a need to participate in the discussions in order to prevent decisions on European security being made without the participation of Europe itself. According to the newspaper, the Trump administration is trying to convince Moscow to agree to involve the European countries in the negotiations. European countries, in turn, are ready to discuss with Russia a return to mechanisms to prevent military conflicts that were frozen during the Cold War. We are talking about agreements that limit the deployment of certain types of missiles, as well as the Open Skies Treaty, which allowed the United States and the Soviet Union to monitor each other's military facilities.
The Wall Street Journal reports that the White House's approach to renegotiating pan-European security agreements is causing concern among many European governments. Some believe that Russia's real goal is to regain a sphere of influence in Eastern Europe.