MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin’s envoy Kirill Dmitriev said on Thursday that there was progress and a positive movement forward in negotiations on peace in Ukraine, as delegations from Russia, Ukraine and the United States prepared for talks in Abu Dhabi. Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 after eight years of fighting in the east, triggering the deadliest war in Europe since World War Two and biggest confrontation between Moscow and the West since the depths of the Cold War.

Ukraine peace talks are set to resume on Wednesday after an intitial round saw Russia, Ukraine and the U.S. sat at the same table for the first time.

Despite Trump-appeasing shows of willingness, a big gap remains between the positions of delegations meeting in Abu Dhabi