Budanov says Abu Dhabi talks discussed options for governing occupied Donbas territories – NYT
Talks in Abu Dhabi considered three possible options for post-war governance of Donbas territories: handing them over to private military contractors, placing them under the management of U.S. President Donald Trump’s "Board of Peace," or creating joint Ukrainian-Russian civilian administrations, Presidential Office head Kyrylo Budanov told The New York Times.
"Potential ideas included handing the area over to private military contractors, allowing Mr. Trump’s Board of Peace to rule it, or forming joint Ukrainian and Russian civilian administrations," the newspaper said.
Budanov advised President Volodymyr Zelenskyy against agreeing to any compromise that would allow Russia to claim control over the territory, according to the paper.
The newspaper also reports that one of the main reasons Budanov agreed to head the Presidential Office in January was the opportunity to lead the negotiation process.
By that point, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, along with Russian and Ukrainian negotiators, had narrowed a 20-point peace plan down to two key unresolved issues — governance of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant and control over Ukrainian-held territory in Donbas, according to Budanov.
The first round of trilateral talks (Ukraine, Russia and the U.S.) took place in Abu Dhabi on January 23-24, with a second round on February 4-5.