"We discussed many things and the talks were constructive," writes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after this weekend's meetings in the capital of the United Arab Emirates.
An American representative describes it to AFP as a "major step" in the process of direct talks between the parties.
They have also agreed to continue the talks on February 1, in Abu Dhabi, according to the representative.
No breakthroughs
Before the talks, Zelenskyy described them as the first tripartite meeting since Russia's invasion and he stated at the time that a draft peace agreement was "almost, almost" ready.
Neither he nor any other party is providing any information about it at this time. Zelenskyy writes on social media that he “appreciates the US awareness of the need for American monitoring of the peace process.”
According to the Ukrainian president, all delegations will report to their respective governments before further steps are taken. The Ukrainian military has “identified a list of issues that can be raised at the next meeting,” he writes.
“I look forward to our delegation’s report,” Zelenskyy continues.
“Positive” spirit
Russian state-run Tass reports, citing sources, that the talks "ended without results" but also notes that consultations will continue in the future.
News site Axios reporter Barak Ravid writes on X that the talks were "constructive" and took place in a "positive" spirit.
US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner participated in the talks on Friday, but handed over responsibility to others in the delegation on Saturday to travel instead to Israel for talks on Gaza, reports the Jerusalem Post .
