Putin confirms Russian-Ukrainian 'secret talks' in Abu Dhabi

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed on Thursday that a meeting between Russian and Ukrainian officials took place last week in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), at the initiative of Kyiv.

Speaking at a news conference in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan's capital, Putin noted that the meeting was attended by "a US administration representative" and that the event took place at Kyiv's initiative.

"The presence of US representatives at the Abu Dhabi talks came as a surprise," he said.

Putin went on to say that the US has informed Moscow it would send a delegation in the first half of the coming week, adding that its composition is "solely Washington's decision."

Regarding the published peace draft, Putin said Moscow sees that the US is incorporating some Russian positions, but other points require serious discussion.