Moscow is ready to resume trilateral talks with Ukraine and the United States after Nov. 4, a Kremlin aide said on Oct. 25, setting a new timeline for negotiations that have stalled since earlier this year.1,3
Yuri Ushakov, foreign policy aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin, told the state-controlled outlet Vesti that Nov. 4, when Russia celebrates National Unity Day, is now the reference point. “The next deadline is now Nov. 4, our major holiday. After that, we will be ready to resume negotiations,” Ushakov said. His remarks followed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s Oct. 23 statement that a new round was expected in the first half of November, with Abu Dhabi a possible venue.1
On Friday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters the next round was “planned for the first half of November in Abu Dhabi” and “will take place in a trilateral format.” Moscow and Kyiv have both confirmed that talks between Russia, Ukraine and the United States are scheduled for November in the United Arab Emirates.3
Zelensky told the Hudson Institute think tank on Friday that technical negotiations will take place “in the first half of November, and as early as possible.” He warned that much would depend on Russia, noting that a similar meeting expected earlier this month never materialized.3
Ushakov was more cautious about results. He said he did not expect the first trilateral meeting after the pause to yield significant results, calling it a “trial run,” and that a peace agreement “still needs work.” The reports do not say how his Nov. 4 marker will be reconciled with the first-half-of-November window cited by Peskov and Zelensky.1,3
The talks would follow a process that made little progress. US-brokered talks held earlier this year yielded little, and the meetings lapsed as the Trump administration focused on its war on Iran. On Oct. 21, Steve Witkoff met Putin in St. Petersburg for three hours, after which the Kremlin said it was ready to resume trilateral talks in November.1,3
The gap on substance remains wide. The Kremlin has repeatedly rejected ceasefire proposals, demanding that Kyiv cede the only partially occupied Donbas, a strategically important region in eastern Ukraine, while Ukraine has agreed to multiple ceasefire proposals put forward by the United States. Al Jazeera noted that Russia maintains a list of hardline demands, including that Ukraine hand over large parts of its territory and agree not to join NATO.1,3
In a televised interview aired late Thursday, Putin said trilateral talks should focus on long-term security arrangements for a final peace deal, not a “short” truce. Zelensky has said any peace agreement would need strong security guarantees and funding for 10 years to maintain the Ukrainian army, and he has called for Europe to be involved. The Kremlin has also said that Europe’s growing support for Ukraine earns it a larger role in upcoming negotiations.2,3
Putin has long avoided meeting Zelensky, and the Kremlin chief is reportedly seeking a meeting with Trump in China next month to secure a favorable peace deal without Ukraine’s participation. The reports do not say whether such a meeting has been arranged.1
The talks come amid growing strain between Kyiv and members of the US government, and signs of improving ties between Trump and Putin. Trump has criticized Zelensky, announced an energy ceasefire that later failed, threatened to cut intelligence-sharing with Kyiv and eased sanctions on Russian oil exports. He has argued that the sanctions relief could encourage Moscow to take part in negotiations with Kyiv. Trump also made a deal to buy 300,000 tonnes of Russian diesel, and Moscow said on Friday that the first shipment was on its way to New York. European leaders have said the deal gave Russia “hope” and made peace harder to achieve.1,3
Ukrainian forces have reported problems with access to Starlink satellite technology and crucial intelligence, despite US assurances that speed restrictions had been removed. Zelensky said Ukraine is still waiting for air defense interceptors that had been promised. On Friday the White House said First Lady Melania Trump had brokered a “localised ceasefire” in Oleshky, a southern Ukrainian city occupied by Russia since February 2022.3
Anton Kovalsky, Ukraine’s acting prosecutor general, said on Friday that Russian attacks have killed more than 19,000 Ukrainian civilians, including 762 children, since Russia launched its full-scale war more than four years ago. Separately, Russia’s Ministry of Defence announced that Moscow and Kyiv had each exchanged 270 prisoners of war.3
What comes next is unsettled. Ushakov’s Nov. 4 marker, Peskov’s first-half-of-November window and Zelensky’s “as early as possible” have not been reconciled in the reports. Zelensky said the talks would take place in early November, but that it “all depends on the Russians.”1,3,4
