Capitals – Al-Bayan – Agencies
The Kremlin said yesterday that the talks held with Kiev in Abu Dhabi under American sponsorship with the aim of ending the war in Ukraine were constructive, stressing that they will continue in the coming days. Russia and the United States also agreed in Abu Dhabi on the need to resume nuclear talks between them, after the last treaty limiting the arsenals of Moscow and Washington expired.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters: “Over two days, there has been constructive work in the Abu Dhabi talks,” announcing the resumption of the talks soon.
Ukraine, Russia and the United States reported some progress without providing details, but indicated the need for more work.
The United States is pushing to end the war, which is taking place at the end of this February in its fourth year, as it seeks to overcome differences.
Yesterday, the State of Bahrain welcomed the success of the Abu Dhabi tripartite talks in the UAE in reaching an agreement to exchange prisoners between Russia and Ukraine, under American sponsorship.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed the Kingdom of Bahrain’s welcome to the results of the tripartite talks hosted by the United Arab Emirates in Abu Dhabi, which brought together the United States of America, the Russian Federation, and Ukraine, which resulted in reaching an agreement to exchange (314) prisoners between the Russian and Ukrainian sides, under American sponsorship, considering this a positive and constructive step in the path of a peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian crisis.
The Ministry affirmed the Kingdom of Bahrain’s support and appreciation for regional and international efforts aimed at reaching a comprehensive and lasting political solution to end the Ukrainian war through dialogue and negotiations, and mitigating its humanitarian repercussions, thus contributing to enhancing security and stability on the European continent, and consolidating just and comprehensive peace and sustainable prosperity at the regional and international levels.
The Kremlin also announced yesterday that Russia and the United States agreed in Abu Dhabi on the necessity of resuming nuclear talks between them, after the effects of the last treaty limiting the arsenals of Moscow and Washington expired.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “There is an understanding, and this was also discussed in Abu Dhabi, that the two sides will act responsibly and recognize the need to begin negotiations on this issue as soon as possible,” after the effects of the “New START” treaty ended earlier this week.
Three informed sources told Axios that the United States and Russia are holding discussions with the aim of reaching an agreement to continue compliance with the terms of the New START Treaty to limit nuclear weapons. The treaty expires on Thursday, as the two countries move closer to concluding an agreement.
Two sources cautioned that the initial plan still requires approval by the presidents of both countries.
The New START Treaty is the last major restriction on the nuclear arsenals of the two countries, which together possess about 85% of the world’s nuclear warheads.
The sources indicated that Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, envoys of US President Donald Trump, are leading negotiations with Russian officials regarding “New START” on the sidelines of the Ukraine talks in Abu Dhabi.
With the expiration of the treaty, it is still unclear whether the agreement to abide by its provisions for an additional period that may extend to six months will be formalized or not.
An American official said: “We agreed with Russia to work in good faith and begin a discussion about possible ways to modernize it,” while the Kremlin said that Russia would adopt a “responsible and cautious approach” to the issue of strategic stability in the field of nuclear weapons.
New START sets a cap on the number of nuclear warheads the United States and Russia can deploy on submarines, missiles, and bombers, and includes important transparency mechanisms.