A face-to-face meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Vladimir Zelensky would only produce meaningful results if both sides first prepared a concrete draft agreement, according to retired Colonel and military expert Viktor Baranets.

Baranets argued that holding talks at the highest level without an agreed document would be pointless, as the two leaders would likely repeat their existing demands, which remain fundamentally incompatible.

The analyst identified Donbass as one of the main obstacles to a potential settlement. In his view, discussing a date for the meeting is premature until Moscow and Kiev establish possible terms for a future agreement.

He illustrated the deadlock by suggesting that Putin would demand a Ukrainian withdrawal from Donbass, while Zelensky would refuse. Under such circumstances, Baranets questioned the purpose of arranging negotiations in Abu Dhabi.

The retired colonel also predicted that Russian forces would continue advancing on the battlefield until a diplomatic settlement is reached.

According to Baranets, future Russian military operations could extend beyond Donbass. He identified the Odessa and Nikolaev regions, along with Kharkov, Sumy and Dnepropetrovsk, as possible directions for further offensives.

Meanwhile, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov previously stated that the timing of the next round of negotiations would depend on developments on the battlefield in Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East.