Islamabad: Former president of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Sardar Masood Khan has described the first-ever face-to-face negotiations between Russian and Ukrainian representatives, held with active US mediation, as a significant but fragile step toward ending the Ukraine conflict, cautioning that unresolved territorial demands and shifting global power dynamics will ultimately shape the prospects for peace.
According to Global Mirror, Sardar Masood Khan speaking during a televised interview said the trilateral talks held in Abu Dhabi, facilitated by senior US envoys, are symbolically and politically important, as they bring Russia and Ukraine to the table directly for the first time since the war escalated. He noted that extensive preparatory diplomacy had already taken place through separate engagements between US representatives and Presidents Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky, allowing negotiators to cover substantial ground ahead of the formal talks.
He observed that while Ukrainian leadership had indicated that much progress had been made, the core dispute remains territorial. He explained that Russia’s position had hardened over time, with Moscow demanding full Ukrainian withdrawal from the Donbass region, including Luhansk and Donetsk, large portions of which are already under Russian control. In addition, Russia seeks recognition of its hold over Crimea and influence over parts of Zaporizhia, Kherson, and Kharkiv—demands that strike at the heart of Ukraine’s sovereignty.
He said that Ukraine’s resistance to these demands had weakened under mounting pressure from President Donald Trump, who was keen to bring the war to a close. According to Masood Khan, Kyiv now faces an extremely narrow set of options, as continued US backing has become conditional, while European support, though politically intact, lacks decisive leverage without Washington’s endorsement.
According to Global Mirror, Sardar Masood Khan speaking during a televised interview said the trilateral talks held in Abu Dhabi, facilitated by senior US envoys, are symbolically and politically important, as they bring Russia and Ukraine to the table directly for the first time since the war escalated. He noted that extensive preparatory diplomacy had already taken place through separate engagements between US representatives and Presidents Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky, allowing negotiators to cover substantial ground ahead of the formal talks.
He observed that while Ukrainian leadership had indicated that much progress had been made, the core dispute remains territorial. He explained that Russia’s position had hardened over time, with Moscow demanding full Ukrainian withdrawal from the Donbass region, including Luhansk and Donetsk, large portions of which are already under Russian control. In addition, Russia seeks recognition of its hold over Crimea and influence over parts of Zaporizhia, Kherson, and Kharkiv—demands that strike at the heart of Ukraine’s sovereignty.
He said that Ukraine’s resistance to these demands had weakened under mounting pressure from President Donald Trump, who was keen to bring the war to a close. According to Masood Khan, Kyiv now faces an extremely narrow set of options, as continued US backing has become conditional, while European support, though politically intact, lacks decisive leverage without Washington’s endorsement.