A new round of peace talks to end Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine will begin in Abu Dhabi on February 4. According to anonymous sources for Politico, dictator Vladimir Putin's decision on this issue — to end the war or continue fighting — will become final in the coming days.
Points of attention
- American journalists and foreign policy experts note a shift in the Russian approach to negotiations, indicating a real chance to end the war in the spring.
- The head of the Office of the President of Ukraine and advisors are cautiously hopeful about the progress in the peace talks.
Ukraine wants peace, but the final decision is Putin's
American journalists spoke with Ukrainian officials who have information about the development of peace talks between Kyiv, Moscow, and Washington.
Some of them, on condition of anonymity, said that there is still a chance for success, despite the general pessimistic mood in Ukraine on this issue.
Interestingly, the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Kyrylo Budanov, also spoke about restrained optimism earlier, but did not explain why he was inclined to such an opinion.
An American foreign policy expert who advised Kyiv also spoke to the media.
The latter frankly admitted that not so long ago these negotiations were like "pulling teeth without anesthesia."
"I used to want to scream when I saw another report saying the talks were "constructive." But now I notice that the Russians are taking these talks more seriously," the expert noted.
Against this background, he added: there is currently a real chance to end the war in the spring.
