Zelenskyy says Russian rhetoric changes, but trust remains at zero after Abu Dhabi talks
The Ukrainian delegation to the trilateral Ukrainian-U.S.-Russian talks, which took place in Abu Dhabi (UAE) on February 4 and 5, recorded a change in the rhetoric of the Russian side, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said, following the results of the report of the delegation participants.
"There are changes in their rhetoric. But they have zero faith in them. I think they have about the same feelings for us as they did before, because they hate Ukraine, that's all. They came to us with a war. And this is not a war provoked by Ukraine. They came here and started killing Ukrainians. This is hatred. You remember how much bullying, torture, murder there was – just from the beginning of the war. Therefore, we have no illusions," Zelenskyy told reporters.
The changes in rhetoric, according to him, consisted in the fact that representatives of the aggressor state began to discuss topics substantively. "The Russian delegation is no longer talking about these empty historical almanacs and excursions, it is now about something else and more concrete – what we are doing and what we are not doing; what we are ready for, what we are not ready for, how we will monitor the ceasefire and other such specific things," the president said.
The military at the talks discussed technical monitoring of how a ceasefire could be achieved. "The military accepts the idea that the Americans should monitor if the Americans agree to it. The Americans know our position: we want foreigners, including Americans, to ensure that the silence and monitoring are real. The Americans are not ready to talk about other foreigners, because they are ready to talk about themselves, and they understand that they will be ready to support this," Zelenskyy said.
Asked about the risk of the U.S. withdrawing from the negotiation process if the war is not ended by the summer, Zelenskyy replied: "To be honest, I have not received such a message from the negotiating team. Of course, it is desirable that the Americans do not leave. For us, it is desirable. I think that the Russians also need the Americans to stay today, in my opinion."
"As for the Americans, they will probably just have a different priority – Congress [the Congressional elections this year]. And we understand with you that they will devote all their time to internal processes – elections, changing the mood in their society. Elections are definitely more important for them. Let's not be naive. And they say that they want to do everything by June. And they will do everything to end the war," he said.
The president said that it is difficult for him to give an answer at the moment regarding the agreements on the introduction of foreign military contingents into Ukraine. "It is difficult for me to say about the presence on the ground, because the negotiators do not have the authority today to say that certain troops will be present. But this does not mean that they will not be. The American side says that they can guarantee monitoring. They are talking about how to technically ensure such monitoring, that is, they are in the process of determining the details," Zelenskyy said.