European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has suggested that Ukraine may agree to significant territorial concessions in talks with Russia in exchange for security guarantees.

She stressed that, in her view, if Ukrainians accept what she described as very tough concessions, they would be doing so for the sake of peace for the rest of the country, and that it should be made absolutely clear that such peace is genuinely ensured. Kallas added that the United States also needed to take this into account.

Her remarks came after US Secretary of State Marko Rubio said that the working groups involved in the negotiations now had one key issue left to resolve — the territorial clause. According to him, a fundamental understanding on security guarantees for Kiev has already been reached.

Rubio specified that the draft agreement includes the deployment of a «small contingent» of European troops on Ukrainian territory, referring primarily to French and British forces, which would operate with support from the American side.

Earlier, Abu Dhabi hosted the first meeting of a trilateral security working group with representatives of Moscow, Kiev and Washington. Behind closed doors, the parties discussed the remaining unresolved elements of the US peace plan.