When I received the second report from our negotiating team after the meetings in Abu Dhabi, they said that the Russians believe and claim that they have already captured half of Donbass, which is actually under our control. They were military officers, Russian intelligence, and they were serious about it. Our team told them, “We don't understand how you can even say such things. We have videos, photos and other evidence that these areas are under our control."
That's the problem. Putin lives in a different reality. Of course he will tell the Americans that he needs a month or two to completely conquer eastern Ukraine. I can also paint him a picture where I completely soldier on Russia. But that's not true. A positive point was that the American side confirmed the Ukrainian assessment of what is happening on the battlefield.
That’s why we have to sit down and talk about leadership. There are many questions. For example, we discussed the town of pottery, where the heat passes along the river. The Russians control one bank, we control another. People want to live together in both beaches. This is a Ukrainian city. Such issues are sensitive, but we have to talk about them. I think the team will be able to meet the level of leaders. "I'm not sure Russia is ready, but we're going to hold this issue.
From communication with journalists.