Russia Says Trust Restoration Remains Premature After Abu Dhabi Talks
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MENAFN“It would be incorrect to speak of restoring trust between the parties at this moment. That is not how we frame the issue,” Ryabkov told Russian media.
He said the two days of discussions held on Tuesday and Wednesday in Abu Dhabi could lay the groundwork for "something functional," provided the parties demonstrated "sufficient political will."
Although Ryabkov pointed to "undeniable" advances in the negotiations, he warned that efforts must avoid "setbacks, reversals, and the torpedoing of things that seemed already within reach."
According to the Russian official, the trilateral discussions examined the possibility of establishing a European security framework capable of supporting a sustainable peace settlement. He also praised Washington's "drive" to bring the Russia-Ukraine conflict to an end.
However, Ryabkov acknowledged that Moscow and Kyiv remained separated by a "very significant gap" in their respective positions on a potential settlement. He also claimed that European countries felt "slighted" after being left out of the negotiations.
"Bringing Europeans into the negotiating process could, in effect, lead to a setback and the collapse of efforts that – up to this point – can be described as useful and possessing a certain positive momentum," he said.
Ryabkov further accused European countries of showing "not the slightest inclination to exercise common sense" in their approach to the Ukraine conflict.
The two-day negotiations ended on Wednesday with an agreement to arrange another prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine, although the details have not yet been confirmed.
Following the talks, US President Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, told reporters that he and US special envoy Steve Witkoff planned to travel to Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin. He said the visit would aim to "finalize the numbers" for the prisoner exchange and discuss whether Europe could participate in future negotiations.
The two American representatives arrived in Moscow on Thursday morning, where Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev received them at Vnukovo Airport.
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