The United States hopes to strengthen trust between Russia and Europe through de-escalation. This was reported by Politico, citing an unnamed representative of the administration of US President Donald Trump.
„Obviously, there is not much trust between Europe and Russia at the moment, but we want to create the basis for launching a new paradigm that will allow us to start building trust by demonstrating real de-escalation“, the newspaper quoted the source as saying.
According to the publication, at the consultations between representatives of Russia, the US and Ukraine, held in Abu Dhabi (UAE), considerable attention was paid to economic issues, as well as control over the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant. “Both sides are beginning to understand what they can gain from peace, such as a plan for prosperity for Ukraine and some opportunities for Russia to engage in business with the United States,“ Politico quoted a US administration official as saying.
January 23 was the first day of the trilateral security consultations in Abu Dhabi. A second meeting was held on January 24. The Russian negotiating team was led by Igor Kostyukov, chief of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces. The Ukrainian part of the trilateral working group was led by Rustem Umerov, secretary of the National Security and Defense Council. As Reuters reported, citing a US official, the next round of talks involving representatives of Russia, the United States and Ukraine is scheduled to begin on February 1 in Abu Dhabi.