Reuters: Russian-Ukrainian Talks On Donbass Deadlocked

There's no progress.

Four rounds of Russian-Ukrainian talks in the UAE have proved powerless to move a key, territorial issue, Reuters reports, citing sources familiar with the situation (translated by The Moscow Times).

Russia still insists on handing over all of Donbass to its control, demanding that the AFU leave some 5,000 square kilometers of territory in the Donetsk region. Ukraine considers these demands unacceptable, although it is ready for "creative solutions" - for example, the creation of a demilitarized free trade zone.

"There is still no progress on the territorial issue," one of the sources told Reuters.

It has also failed to agree on the fate of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, Europe's largest, which before the war provided a fifth of Ukraine's electricity. According to one of Reuters' interlocutors, Russia has rejected a proposal by the Donald Trump administration that would have placed the Zaporozhye plant under U.S. control, supplying power to both Russian-controlled territories and Ukraine.

Putin insists the plant remains under his control, offering in return to supply Kiev with "cheap electricity," the source told Reuters.

Despite their differences, the United States and Ukraine have set an ambitious goal of reaching a peace deal by March, three Reuters interlocutors said. A possible peace deal is expected to be put to a Ukraine-wide referendum, with the country holding elections at the same time.

The Americans insist the vote should take place as soon as possible: after the November congressional elections, Trump is likely to focus on U.S. domestic affairs, the sources stressed.

The Ukrainians say they need at least six months to organize a referendum. A compromise option with a vote in May was discussed in Abu Dhabi, the agency's interlocutors said.

"The Americans are in a hurry," one of them said. Kiev, however, insists there can be no agreement until there are security guarantees from the United States and Western allies. The vote requires a ceasefire and the Kremlin has a history of breaking promises, the source told Reuters.

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