Kremlin: Ukraine negotiations still in early stages

(Patria) - The Kremlin announced yesterday that talks between Russia, Ukraine and the United States on ending the war are still in an early stage, warning that tangible results should not be expected.

- It would be wrong to expect major results - said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, speaking about the trilateral talks held last weekend in the United Arab Emirates.

Russian state news agency TASS reported Peskov's words that the topics discussed in Abu Dhabi were difficult, but the very fact that these contacts have begun constructively should be considered positive.

In the first direct negotiations between the warring parties in the last few months, only the continuation of talks after a week was agreed upon, but the date has not yet been set, according to the DPA news agency.

The France Presse agency reported over the weekend, citing an unnamed US official, that a new meeting is expected on Sunday, February 1.

Peskov denied reports by US representatives that an almost friendly atmosphere prevailed among the participants from the Ukrainian and Russian sides.

- That is hardly possible at this stage - Peskov stressed.

He referred to the "Anchorage formula" outlining Russian interests, a reference to the summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska in August 2025. No agreement from that meeting was announced.

Russia wants the withdrawal of Ukrainian units from parts of the eastern Donbas region still under Kyiv's control. The Ukrainian government opposes this.

German security expert Nico Lange wrote on platform X that Trump appears to have made promises in Anchorage that he now cannot fulfill, which is why the US is pressuring Ukraine to agree to concessions.