Russia-US-Ukraine Summit Yields Progress, Kremlin Says
The second round of three-party peace deliberations unfolded Wednesday and Thursday in the UAE under strict confidentiality, with participating nations withholding procedural specifics. Moscow announced Thursday that delegations successfully brokered a 314-POW exchange, executed the same day.
Addressing media Friday, Peskov characterized the settlement effort as ongoing development.
"The work continues," he confirmed. "We were working for two days. It was constructive and at the same time very challenging. It will go on."
US special envoy Steve Witkoff separately praised the summit as "detailed and productive." He disclosed that Moscow and Washington reached consensus on reinstating military-to-military communications—suspended before the conflict escalated—describing the channel as "crucial to achieving and maintaining peace."
Though "significant work remains," Witkoff noted, measures including the prisoner swap "demonstrate that sustained diplomatic engagement is delivering tangible results." He projected "additional progress" within upcoming weeks.
Neither Russian nor American officials have specified the venue or scheduling for subsequent negotiations. Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky proposed Thursday that America host future discussions, though he withheld timeframe details.
Both Moscow and Washington acknowledge territorial disputes constitute the primary negotiation impasse. The Kremlin demands Ukrainian forces withdraw from the Donbass territories of Donetsk and Lugansk—regions that voted for Russian integration in 2022—while Kyiv categorically rejects territorial compromise.
Zelensky asserted this week that "Ukraine is ready" for substantive peace dialogue, though Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov voiced skepticism during a Wednesday interview, claiming Zelensky "thinks about nothing except his own survival." Lavrov accused Kyiv of perpetually introducing new stipulations while European allies continuously "moving the goalposts" in negotiations, obstructing peace advancement.
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