ABC News
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov declined to elaborate on Moscow’s position in the unfolding U.S.-Ukraine negotiations regarding Russia’s full-scale invasion of its neighbor, telling journalists on Tuesday it was “impossible to comment” amid what he called “an information frenzy.”
Russian officials have offered limited reaction to the weekend talks in Geneva, Switzerland, which saw American, European and Ukrainian officials meet to discuss the controversial U.S.-backed peace plan proposal
Peskov, though, said Tuesday that Moscow could not yet comment. “It’s impossible to comment on every media report right now”
“I would describe the situation as an information frenzy — there’s no other way to describe it,” he said. “Indeed, a lot of contradictory information is being published, contradictory statements, and so on and so forth.”
Europeans Pushing the NATO poison pill
Efforts to leave the door ajar to Ukraine membership will kill any deal to end the war, which our transatlantic friends know quite well
Into this fragile process, European capitals have thrown a wrench. Having circulated various “counter plans,” they have now settled on a different tactic: offering unsolicited amendments to the American proposal.
The effort is reportedly being led by the E3 – Britain, France and Germany. Rubio, however, poured cold water on those efforts by stating in Geneva that he was “unaware of any European drafts.” Tellingly, he refused to meet with the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Kaja Kallas, a former Prime-Minister of Estonia. This is a stunning diplomatic snub that highlights her profound incompetence as the embodiment of the maximalist position consisting, in her own words, only in “weakening Russia and supporting Ukraine”.
It remains to be seen what specific amendments Europeans are introducing to the American plan but based on the principles they have expressed so far, including in the previously leaked counterplans, some of their amendments would almost certainly amount to poison pills designed to ensure the deal’s collapse.
That could then be blamed on Moscow and used to justify a return to a default setting of a protracted war. Nowhere is this more evident than on the issue of NATO.
Embedding the earlier post- Possibly explaining the EU’s idiocy?!
US and Russia hold peace talks in Abu Dhabi as missiles pound Kyiv
WASHINGTON/KYIV — US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll has held unannounced talks with Russian officials in Abu Dhabi as part of an intense new push by President Donald Trump’s administration to end the war in Ukraine and more meetings were expected on Tuesday (Nov 25).
The talks come as US and Ukrainian officials sought to narrow the gaps between them over a peace plan, with core issues still unresolved and Ukraine wary of being strong-armed into accepting a deal largely on the Kremlin’s terms.
The exact nature of the talks in Abu Dhabi, which were confirmed to Reuters by a US official, were not immediately clear, and it was not known who was in the Russian delegation. The US official added that Driscoll, who has emerged as a point man for US diplomatic efforts, was also expected to meet Ukrainian officials while in Abu Dhabi.
That’s Ukraine updates for the day 🙂