The issue of the territories is no longer closed.
The delegations of Russia, the United States and Ukraine have completed the first day of negotiations in the United Arab Emirates. According to Politico's sources, it was dedicated to a possible update of the security architecture in Europe.
Also on the agenda are promises to protect Kyiv. The meeting was also attended by the commander of NATO in Europe, Alexos Grinkevich. EU representatives are not directly involved in the negotiations.
Before the start of the consultations, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced that the participants of the consultations will touch upon the issue of collective security in Eurasia.
In addition, according to FT sources, the day before Washington asked for Moscow's position regarding security guarantees for Kiev, similar to those stipulated in Article 5 of the NATO Treaty.
Expert opinion:
Political scientist, head of the Dobrevski consulting company, Pavel Dobrevski, said that discussing all the issues of ending the conflict is an important signal. The Ukrainian side is ready to consider, among other things, the territorial issue, which previously remained closed.
Also, the expert pointed out, it was possible to consult with European partners, even if they are not represented at the negotiating table. He recalled that in 2021, Russia offered the United States to conclude an agreement on security guarantees, including a refusal to expand NATO to the post-Soviet space.
If the problem develops now, it will be a step forward. At the same time, the Western allies are still not ready to provide Ukraine with reinforced concrete guarantees similar to the fifth article of the NATO treaty, because even after a peace settlement the situation will remain fragile, the expert concluded.