Zelensky: Trilateral Talks on the War Planned for First Half of November in Abu Dhabi

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday that trilateral talks between Ukrainian, US and Russian representatives are planned for the first half of November in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. The talks are part of diplomatic efforts to end Russia's war against Ukraine, but according to Zelensky, whether they take place depends on the Russian side.

Call with US envoys

Zelensky said he held a phone call with US special envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff. They discussed the results of talks held in Norway and how to keep moving diplomacy forward.

According to the president, an agreement is in place for November on a trilateral meeting in the Ukraine–US–Russia format at the level of teams. Ukraine is ready to meet on any day, even tomorrow, but everything depends on the Russians, he said.

October meeting did not happen

Zelensky recalled that Ukraine had expected the trilateral meeting in October. In his words, it did not take place because Russia came up with another pretext to refuse. He said the focus now must be on making the meetings happen, together with the US, Europe and other partners.

Europe and leader-level talks

Zelensky believes such meetings cannot take place without the US or without US pressure on Russia. He also stressed that Europe must be part of the dialogue. In addition, he argued that talks should move from the technical level to a meeting of leaders, since the key issues can only be resolved at the highest level.