According to Reuters, Russia and Ukraine, as part of closed negotiations, show a willingness to compromise on issues of a territorial nature. This was announced by an American official who held a closed press briefing before the start of the meetings in Abu Dhabi.
According to him, despite public statements by both sides, in private talks Moscow and Kiev demonstrate a certain degree of flexibility on territorial issues.
However, as the source indicated, an agreement on the territories is expected to be reached only in the final phase of the negotiations, after other key issues have been discussed, including the future of the European security architecture.
Washington remains cautiously optimistic about the possibility of a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
"For the first time I had the feeling that we were seeing a real desire on the Russian side to end the war," the American official noted.