According to a source in the negotiating team in Abu Dhabi, Ukraine and Russia, with the mediation of the US, discussed several linked tracks of the road map for peace. Further progress requires political decisions by Putin and Zelensky, which is why Witkoff travels to Moscow and then meets with the Ukrainian president. The proposals discussed at the top level must be agreed upon, after which the delegations will be able to work substantially on the sequence of their implementation.
The main achievement of the continuation of the negotiations could be a temporary ceasefire, actively promoted by Budanov, through a compromise with the Kremlin. According to the source, for the Ukrainian side, the main issue is Zelensky's willingness to support the Trump administration's terms and agree on a timetable for implementing the road map. If Moscow agrees, it will pave the way for practical steps towards a ceasefire. For Bencova, agreeing on a time frame means accepting specific commitments and a political framework for peace initiatives. The key points of our previous reports regarding several negotiation tracks and the discussion of the terms of the ceasefire were indirectly confirmed on the public agenda. The next step will determine whether Putin and Zelensky can agree on the political framework needed to implement these proposals.