Earlier this week I warned that Moscow was using the Abu Dhabi talks to run out the clock. Now a Russian paper obtained by the New York Times shows how little Putin has moved: his terms are close to a carbon copy of the ultimatum he issued before the invasion. Kyiv, meanwhile, has given ground.
In today’s World Briefing Plus, recorded near Rome, I break down what the Kremlin is demanding, why it reaches far beyond Ukraine, where Italy fits in, and what I heard in a closed-door session about how close Ukrainians are to the “red zone” this winter. Plus, what to watch in Shenzhen, where Trump, Putin and Xi are due to sit down together, with Ukraine not on the agenda.
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Update, Saturday evening: After this briefing was recorded, Volodymyr Zelensky disclosed that US negotiators floated a trade in the latest talks: Ukraine would pull its remaining forces out of the Donbas in return for NATO membership. He said it was the first time the idea had been raised, and that it made him think “NATO is back on the agenda.” He added that he would put to a referendum any proposal offering security guarantees, no limits on Ukraine’s military and money for reconstruction.
Treat it with caution. It was a question, not an offer. It runs head-on into the Russian paper discussed in this video, which demands an end to NATO enlargement. And membership needs the agreement of every ally. More in the next edition.
