Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday welcomed the United States' decision to involve European countries in the Abu Dhabi negotiations, where Ukraine and Russia held U.S.-mediated talks.
Asked by AFP about the nature of the "positive changes" in the approach of U.S. mediators, Zelensky said: "Involving Europe was not easy."
Speaking to journalists during a visit to Copenhagen, he added: "We cannot end this war, think about security in Europe, or envision Ukraine's reconstruction without Europe."
During the US-mediated talks with Russia, Ukraine insisted that Moscow must cease hostilities before any discussions on future security arrangements in Europe, a source within the Ukrainian delegation told AFP on Wednesday.
"This is where our positions differ. We say that we must discuss the future security architecture after hostilities have stopped and security guarantees have been provided to Ukraine (...) while the Russians say the opposite," the source explained.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin stated that the Russian delegation participating in the peace talks had not communicated with European representatives in Abu Dhabi and that no such contacts were planned.
Speaking to journalists by telephone, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov also said that Russian President Vladimir Putin was receiving regular reports from the Russian delegation on the negotiations.
Following their discussions with the Russian side, members of the Ukrainian negotiating delegation met with European and American envoys.
According to a source within the delegation, the second day of U.S.-mediated Russian-Ukrainian talks lasted "two hours." Once the discussions concluded, "a meeting with the Europeans and Americans" began.
