The latest round of U.S.-brokered talks between Russia and Ukraine were productive in some ways, but there is still a long way to go as core problems remain unsolved, said Russian and Ukrainian experts.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that the United States is holding "very good" talks with Russia and Ukraine, expecting "something could be happening" on resolving the conflict, which is approaching its fourth year.
The second round of the U.S.-brokered talks between Russia and Ukraine concluded in Abu Dhabi on Thursday, with both sides agreeing to a large-scale prisoner exchange but failing to achieve substantive breakthroughs on core issues such as territorial arrangements.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday that the next peace talks with the U.S. and Russian delegations will be held "in the near future, likely in the United States."
Russian political experts said the talks had positive results in promoting peace, but there is still a long way to go.
"Any round of negotiations brings peace closer, one way or another. When we hear statements following a particular stage of the negotiation process that the negotiations were productive, these are not empty words, and peace is being achieved, albeit slowly," said Dmitry Yezhov, political scientist and associate professor at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation.
"There are two problems: security guarantees and territorial issues. There are no formal security guarantees for the Russian-speaking population yet, nor is the status of the Russian language and the future of those territories where a significant number of Russian-speaking people live who would like to unite with Russia," a Russian political scientist and expert on post-Soviet countries Aslan Rubayev said.
Commenting on the results of the talks, Ruslan Bortnik, a Ukrainian political scientist and director of the Ukrainian Institute of Politics, said that no strategic agreements between Russia and Ukraine have been reached yet.
Bortnik said the current stage of negotiations should be viewed in conjunction with both rounds of talks in Abu Dhabi: the first on Jan 23-24, and the second on Feb 4-5.
"There are indeed very few practical results so far. They are limited and mostly tactical in nature. We can say that this negotiation process has had a positive impact on achieving a very temporary, short, week-long energy agreement. A ceasefire was established from January 24 to 31, which, however, was not extended later," said Bortnik.
Latest round of Russia-Ukraine talks productive, core problems remain: experts
U.S. forces on Tuesday launched fresh strikes on targets of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Iran, marking a renewed escalation in hostilities between Washington and Tehran.
If Iran "retaliates for this very justified attack, they will be hit again at a much harder and higher level," U.S. President Donald Trump warned in a post on Truth Social, describing the new strikes near the Strait of Hormuz as "large and powerful."
"But it will not be the biggest attack of them all, that is waiting in the wings and, when it is over, there will be very little left of the Islamic Republic of Iran!" Trump threatened in the post.
Trump's remarks came shortly after the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced fresh strikes on IRGC targets at 12:00 Eastern Time (1600 GMT).
According to the CENTCOM, U.S. forces struck IRGC targets including air defense sites, radar systems, maritime assets and facilities, mine laying capabilities, and communications sites.
The strikes were after recent attempted attacks by the IRGC against commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and against the U.S. service members, said the CENTCOM.
According to the CENTCOM, more than 50,000 U.S. service members are currently operating across the Middle East and remain vigilant, lethal, and prepared to continue executing operations directed by the Commander in Chief.
Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) said Tuesday night it has started strikes against U.S. bases and assets in the region in retaliation for U.S. attacks against southern Iranian provinces earlier in the day, which killed at least five and wounded over 50 others.
In a statement published on its official news outlet Sepah News, the IRGC said its "regret-inducing response against the aggressors" have begun, noting its air defense had shot down a "hostile" U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone.
Its aerospace forces also launched ballistic missile and drone strikes on Camp Titin in Jordan and Shaikh Isa Air Base in Bahrain, reportedly killing "a large number of" U.S. troops and destroying several key facilities and combat helicopters.
The IRGC said the attacks are in response to the United States bombing a number of civilian places in Iran's southern coasts "out of desperation" and in retaliation for the U.S. "criminal" and deadly attack on a wedding ceremony in Hormozgan province.
Explosions were heard Tuesday in the Iranian port cities of Bandar Abbas and Sirik, and on Qeshm Island, according to reports. The IRGC stated early Wednesday local time that at least two people were killed and 20 others were injured on Tuesday night in a U.S. strike targeting a wedding ceremony in Iran's southern Sirik County in Hormozgan province.
U.S. launches fresh strikes on Iran as Trump warns of more attacks
