Hopes that these talks could definitively stop the war were noted as being low; fighting did not appear to slow down, even as peace discussions began,[25] and Eritrean forces, in particular, were reportedly still engaged in the killing of civilians for most of the negotiating period.[2] On 28 October, Ethiopia vocalized their distrust about the motives of unspecified "western entities" during the process, alleging that "unsubstantiated and politically motivated" claims were being made about the war for a "sinister" agenda, that "irresponsible propaganda" from the TPLF was being repeated uncritically, and further stated that "venerable organizations and well-meaning actors could be unwitting participants in this campaign."[27][28] Still, despite these concerns, negotiations continued.