Ukraine war briefing: Zelenskyy says Putin ‘lives in a different reality’ as Abu Dhabi talks get under way
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Vladimir Putin lives in a different reality as US-led trilateral talks between Ukraine, Russia and the US got under way in Abu Dhabi.
Zelenskyy said Russia had claimed at the talks that they occupied half of the Donbas in Ukraine’s east.
“This is the problem. Putin lives in a different reality,” the Ukrainian president wrote, adding “I can draw a picture for him too where I fully occupy Russia. But it’s not true.”
Zelenskyy said he was “happy” to see a change in the approach by US mediators at the Abu Dhabi talks.
“I see changes. I’m very happy with what I hear. We will see what can be done,” Zelenskyy told a press conference in Copenhagen.
Zelenskyy described the first day of talks – the first three-sided discussions to be held since February – as constructive and substantive.
The agenda in Abu Dhabi had included formulating a new security architecture for Europe, an idea raised earlier on Tuesday by Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov.
“We are all very cautious with this topic because nobody really understands 100% what they want. I think we understand, but nobody saw the documents, what the Americans discussed with the Russians,” Zelenskyy said.
US officials have said they are seeking a “final end” to the war.
Part of the Trump administration’s proposal involves drawing up a new “long-term security architecture” between Russia and Europe, but European officials are concerned that Russia may stick to its hardline demands that Nato should roll back its military footprint across eastern Europe.
This would threaten to leave allies vulnerable to Moscow’s influence.
Ukraine presses for weapons and aid
Ukraine’s foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said he had urged US secretary of state Marco Rubio to accelerate interceptor deliveries as Russia ramps up attacks on energy infrastructure.
Speaking to Reuters after talks with Rubio, Andrii Sybiha said he had pressed Washington to maintain pressure on Moscow even as diplomatic efforts to end the war took place in Abu Dhabi.
He said Ukraine remained prepared to discuss a range of de-escalatory measures, including ceasefires covering the Black Sea and energy infrastructure.
Meanwhile, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has signalled he will block the EU’s seven-year budget unless there is a deal on financial aid for Ukraine.
This has triggered accusations of “typical blackmail” from some other European leaders and set the stage for stormy talks later this month.
Drone threats in the Baltics
Latvia and Lithuania warned people across several regions to take shelter due threats of unidentified drones entering their airspace via neighbouring Russia or Belarus early on Wednesday.
Lithuania’s National Crisis Management Centre said its warning included the country’s second city of Kaunas, which has a population of about 300,000 people.
As Ukraine attacks Russia’s Baltic Sea oil shipping ports, some of its drones have missed their targets and led to security warnings in neighbouring countries.
Moscow has accused Kyiv of using Nato airspace as cover for attacks, while Kyiv says some of its drones have been steered off course by Russian signal jamming.
The Nato countries blame Russia for the incidents, saying it ignited the war.
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