Ukraine seeks earlier Abu Dhabi talks

Ukraine has asked the United States and Russia to move the start of their next trilateral negotiations in Abu Dhabi forward by one week to November 3. The change would bring the session ahead of the current tentative schedule that follows the US congressional midterm elections. Kyiv also intends to include an EU representative in the proceedings, a move that Moscow has resisted for the initial meeting.

The diplomatic push began after officials in President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s administration assessed the urgency of the winter months. A source within the negotiation team stated that in December, every week matters because daily needs for power, water, and heating become critical for the population. This timeline pressure drives the request to compress the current gap between the elections and the scheduled talks.

The current plan places the meeting tentatively for November 10. Kyiv and Washington are working to convince the Russian delegation to accept the November 3 start. As of the evening of October 25, Moscow had not issued final confirmation regarding the date change. Yuri Ushakov, an aide to the Russian leader, previously indicated that Russia is prepared to resume trilateral negotiations after November 4.

Ukrainian officials expect the first meeting in Abu Dhabi to serve as an introductory session rather than a venue for immediate breakthroughs. A member of Zelenskyy’s team who has participated in prior rounds noted that new delegations will need time to adjust to one another. Substantive work is anticipated to begin at the second meeting, with potential decisions emerging around the third round of talks.

The inclusion of a European observer remains a point of contention. A source close to the Ukrainian negotiation team explained that the Russians do not want Europeans seated at the table during the first meeting. However, the Ukrainian team plans to bring an EU representative along to receive real-time briefings in Abu Dhabi. The primary obstacle is that European envoys currently lack a designated mandate to make decisions, leaving them in a signal-receiving mode.

Björn Seibert, the Head of Cabinet for European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, has emerged as a likely EU representative for these discussions. Ukrainian diplomatic sources maintain that Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff conveyed the idea of a new security model to Vladimir Putin, who allegedly agreed to discuss it. This development aligns with Kyiv’s persistent effort to involve European partners despite opposition from both Russia and the United States.

The next scheduled step is the confirmation of the November 3 date by Moscow. Ukrainian leaders, including Davyd Arakhamiia, have told American counterparts that the final peace configuration must be acceptable to residents of Kharkiv and Dnipro. They aim to present a clear picture of post-war security and NATO cooperation, noting that trust in US assurances alone is insufficient for a lasting agreement.

Zelenskyy has stated that Ukraine will not accept limits on the size of its Armed Forces or a status of neutrality as part of any deal. The delegations will meet in Abu Dhabi or potentially Switzerland, depending on final logistical arrangements. The focus for the upcoming sessions is defining the shape of peace after the war rather than immediately dividing specific territories.