MOSCOW, November 26. /TASS/. The US and Ukraine presented a condensed peace proposal to Russian representatives in the UAE; lifting sanctions on Russia will need unanimous EU approval; and Washington presses Caracas by labeling the Cartel de los Soles a terrorist group to force political change. These stories topped Wednesday’s newspaper headlines across Russia.
Negotiations between the United States and Ukraine on the American peace plan continued in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on November 24-25, following a round held in Geneva on November 23. The Financial Times (FT) was the first to report on November 25, citing sources, about US Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll’s trip to Abu Dhabi, almost simultaneously with Politico and CBS News. The New York Times reported that two other prominent American negotiators - Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy Steven Witkoff - did not fly from Switzerland to the UAE. Experts argue that Washington may be using symbolic, informal negotiations to pressure Moscow towards concessions, Vedomosti writes.
According to FT, Driscoll is conducting talks with head of Ukraine's military intelligence Kirill Budanov (listed in Russia as a terrorist and extremist), as well as with some Russian representatives. Axios, citing sources, reported that Russia was allegedly represented by the "head of military intelligence," without specifying a name.
