ABU DHABI, February 4. /TASS/. The second round of negotiations on Ukrainian reconciliation will be held in Abu Dhabi on February 4-5 in a trilateral format involving Russia, the United States and Ukraine.
"The format remains in force," a source told TASS.
Earlier, Vladimir Zelensky said that the Ukrainian negotiating team would adjust its approach following Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure. He did not elaborate on details.
The Russian defense ministry reported that in retaliation to Ukraine’s attacks on civilian facilities in Russia, Russian forces had delivered massive strikes on Ukraine’s defense sector infrastructure and energy facilities used for military purposes overnight to February 3.
Delegations
According to Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov, the composition of the Russian security group will remain unchanged after the first round, when it was led by Igor Kostyukov, head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff. Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Rustem Umerov was at the head of the Ukrainian part of the working group.
According to media reports, Washington will be represented by Steve Witkoff, special envoy of the President of the United States for peacekeeping missions. The White House also confirmed that US entrepreneur Jared Kushner will take part.
Kostyukov earlier said that during the first round, Ukrainian negotiators were "in a sad mood," while the Russian team was "in good spirits." The negotiators communicated in Russian, in a constructive atmosphere. Peskov, in turn, said the talks were "very difficult." "Discussing some aspects publicly while the negotiations are still ongoing means to harm the process," he said.
Venue
The venue of the talks was not disclosed. The delegations' movements in Abu Dhabi, as well as organizational and logistical matters, are kept out of the public eye.
TASS found out that the first round of talks was held at the Qasr Al Shatie residence, which is closed for visitors, not marked on maps and is used for important diplomatic meetings.
The residence is located close to Al Bateen Executive Airport, a dedicated business jet international airport which accepts irregular private and official flights. Commuting between the palace and the airport takes approximately 15 minutes by car.