BBC: Ukraine Peace Talks Resume as Moscow and Kyiv Show Some Flexibility
Ahead of trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi, Russia and Ukraine are privately showing some flexibility on who will control eastern Ukraine after the war, BBC reports, citing US officials. The talks are the first of their kind since February.
Russia and Ukraine are privately showing "some flexibility" on the question of who will control Ukraine's eastern regions after the war, BBC reports, citing US officials. The comments came ahead of trilateral peace talks between Russian, Ukrainian and US officials in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, scheduled for 10–11 November. They are the first such talks since February and take place ahead of the fifth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Security architecture as the key
The US delegation includes Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and peace envoy Steve Witkoff. Kushner said the talks would focus on "post-war security issues" that concern both Russia and Ukraine. According to BBC, neither side has formally backed down from its demands, but a US official suggested this is only the official position, while Moscow and Kyiv have privately shown "some flexibility".
The official also acknowledged that the Donetsk and territorial questions cannot be settled until it is clear what the post-war security architecture will be: "we will not be able to finally agree on one without the other."
For Ukraine, this architecture could mean guarantees that allies will come to its aid if it is attacked again. For Russia, it could mean a long-held ambition to see NATO pull back from Eastern Europe, which would worry Europeans. The proposed framework agreement envisages security consultations, crisis communication lines and "mutual de-escalation measures". Officials have also floated reviving the NATO-Russia Council, whose work has been practically suspended since 2022. The US will propose moving to a multilateral format that involves Europeans.
Participants
Representatives of the European Commission, the European Council, Germany, France and the United Kingdom will attend at the level of security advisers, along with the head of the NATO Secretary General's office. Ukraine will be represented by Rustem Umerov, head of the Foreign Intelligence Service; Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Presidential Office; his first deputy Serhiy Kyslytsya; Vadym Skibitskyi, deputy head of the Defence Ministry's Main Intelligence Directorate; and Davyd Arakhamia, head of the Servant of the People faction.
The Ukrainian side does not expect a breakthrough at the first meeting but hopes for one in the second round. President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukrainian troops are currently strengthening the negotiating position.
