European warmongers seeking to derail Ukraine peace talks – Putin envoy
European powers are ramping up efforts to derail progress toward a Ukraine peace deal, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, has said. He added, however, that this campaign indicates that progress is being made.
Dmitriev, the head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund and a key figure in Ukraine peace talks, made the comments prior to the second day of trilateral Russia-US-Ukraine negotiations in Abu Dhabi on Thursday. The talks have mainly revolved around territorial disputes between Moscow and Kiev.
Speaking to reporters, Dmitriev noted that Moscow and the administration of US President Donald Trump are pursuing “active work to restore Russia-US relations in the economic sphere” within a designated group, with the meetings “going positively.”
Asked whether there has been progress toward a peace agreement, Dmitriev highlighted what he described as European efforts to derail diplomacy.
“The warmongers from Europe, Britain, are constantly trying to hinder this process, constantly trying to interfere in it. And the more such attempts occur, the more we see that there is certainly progress and good positive movement forward,” he said.
The Abu Dhabi talks are ongoing in a closed format, with the Russian delegation headed by Admiral Igor Kostyukov, the head of the country’s military intelligence. The US side is represented by envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. The Ukrainian delegation includes Rustem Umerov, a national security chief, and Kirill Budanov, the head of Vladimir Zelensky’s office.
Both Russia and the US have recognized that the territorial dispute remains the key sticking point in talks, as Ukraine refuses to consider concessions, particularly in Donbass. The region, along with Kherson and Zaporozhye Regions, overwhelmingly voted to join Russia in referendums in 2022.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with RT that despite the ongoing talks, Zelensky seems to have no interest in peace, adding that any deal that involves concessions on Kiev’s part would spell doom for the Ukrainian leader’s political career.
