Ukraine urges Russia to advance Abu Dhabi peace talks to early November

Ukraine is pressing to move the next round of trilateral peace negotiations with the United States and Russia forward by at least one week. The current plan schedules the meeting to begin on 10 November, following the US congressional midterm elections. Kyiv and Washington are jointly urging Moscow to accept an earlier date. As of the evening of 25 October, Russian officials had not provided final confirmation of any change to the schedule.

A source within President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s team explained that the timing is critical for the winter months. The source noted that in December, every single week becomes important. When citizens lack power, water, or heating, each day plays a role in their survival. Another source from the President’s Office stated that Russian officials still believe they can break Ukraine during the winter season.

Kyiv does not anticipate a major breakthrough during the first meeting. The report indicates that reaching substantive agreements will require at least several rounds of dialogue. A member of Zelenskyy’s team who participated in previous talks said the composition of the delegations is likely to shift. In that scenario, the first meeting would allow new team members to become familiar with one another. Serious work would begin at the second session, with real decisions potentially emerging around the third meeting.

The role of Europe in the talks remains a point of negotiation. A source close to the Ukrainian team said Russian representatives do not want European officials seated at the table for the initial meeting. The Ukrainian team plans to bring European counterparts to Abu Dhabi to brief them in real time. The source noted that Europe currently has no designated representative with a mandate to decide anything. Its envoys can only receive signals. Over the last two meetings, Björn Seibert, the head of cabinet for European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, has begun to emerge as a key EU figure.

Ukraine also proposes changing the starting point of the discussions. Instead of debating which specific villages belong to which side, Kyiv wants to define what peace should look like after the war ends. A source close to the team said this framework should cover the region’s future appearance, Ukraine’s protection, and cooperation with NATO. The source added that trust in Donald Trump in Ukraine is only 6% higher than trust in Vladimir Putin. Consequently, nobody in Kyiv will act purely on Trump’s assurances.

According to Ukrainian sources in Zelenskyy’s diplomatic team, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff passed the idea of discussing a new security model to Putin. He allegedly agreed to the concept. Davyd Arakhamiia, leader of the Servant of the People parliamentary faction, reportedly told the Americans that any final settlement must be acceptable to residents of Kharkiv and Dnipro. These cities would be next after Donbas in any potential conflict.

Other logistical details remain unsettled. US government sources indicated the next round could be held in either Abu Dhabi or Switzerland. Yuri Ushakov, an aide to the Russian leader, stated that Russia is ready to resume trilateral negotiations after 4 November. Zelenskyy has said Ukraine will not accept limits on the size of its Armed Forces or a neutral status as part of any peace deal.