Checking Sputnik: "Security Guarantees to Be Discussed at Upcoming Talks in Ab…"

**What Sputnik says** Sputnik reports that Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has confirmed upcoming trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi scheduled for November. According to the report, these talks will focus on "mutual" security guarantees for both Russia and Ukraine. The piece further asserts that Russia is "winning on the battlefield" and expanding "liberated territories," claiming these facts are acknowledged by all military experts. **What the evidence shows** The report accurately reflects the public statements made by Dmitry Peskov. It is a fact that the Kremlin spokesperson has spoken about the potential for trilateral talks and the necessity of security guarantees. However, the framing of these talks as a settled "mutual" agreement is not supported by broader reporting. While the Kremlin emphasizes reciprocity, other sources indicate that the security guarantees being discussed are heavily focused on Ukraine’s protections. For example, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has specifically sought "Article-5-like" security guarantees based on NATO's assistance clause (Berliner Zeitung via [1]). Similarly, U.S. officials report that discussions in Oslo centered on a "comprehensive peace framework" including security guarantees for Ukraine (Aftenposten via [3], [4]). Regarding the claim that Russia is "winning on the battlefield" and that "all military experts acknowledge this," this could not be independently confirmed using the provided evidence. This statement is presented as a consensus fact but is actually a subjective assertion by a single official source (the Kremlin). **What is missing** Sputnik employs several propaganda techniques to shape the narrative: * **Omission of Context:** The story presents the Abu Dhabi talks in isolation. It fails to mention that these are part of a broader, precarious diplomatic push involving U.S. envoy Steven Witkoff and meetings in Oslo, where Ukraine presented its own framework for peace (Aftenposten via [3]). * **Appeal to Authority:** By claiming that "all military experts" agree Russia is winning, Sputnik uses a "false consensus" technique. It presents a contested military situation as an undisputed fact without citing a single independent expert. * **Loaded Language:** The use of the term "liberated territories" is a framing device. This term adopts the Kremlin's legal and political terminology rather than using neutral descriptors such as "occupied" or "seized," which are more common in international reporting. **Bottom line** The evidence supports the fact that the Kremlin is signaling a willingness to discuss security guarantees in a trilateral format. However, there is no evidence that a "mutual" agreement has been reached. Instead, available reports show a significant gap between Russia's claims of battlefield dominance and Ukraine's demand for NATO-style security guarantees to ensure its survival. --- Sputnik Watch answers stories from Sputnik, a Russian state media outlet. Original: https://sputnikglobe.com/20261028/security-guarantees-to-be-discussed-at-upcoming-talks-in-abu-dhabi---kremlin-1124968839.html (published Wed, 28 Oct 2026 16:03:21 +0000). Machine-written by gemma4:31b-cloud; evidence from Arc Codex's archive of other outlets. Journalism self-check: 97/100 by gpt-oss:120b-cloud (checklist: https://arc-codex.com/about#sputnik-watch).