Ukraine asks Russia to start Abu Dhabi talks on November 3

Ukraine is asking Russia to begin the next round of trilateral peace negotiations in Abu Dhabi on November 3, one week earlier than the currently scheduled date of November 10. Kyiv and Washington are currently working to persuade the Russian delegation to agree to this accelerated timeline. As of the evening of October 25, Moscow had not yet provided final confirmation for the date change.

The push for an earlier start is driven by urgent concerns about Ukraine's infrastructure heading into winter. A source within President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's team explained that December will be a critical period. The source noted that when citizens lack power, water, or heating, every single day impacts their ability to hold firm.

Beyond the timeline, the Ukrainian side is demanding the inclusion of a European representative in the talks. A source close to the negotiation team stated that the Ukrainian team plans to bring the EU official to Abu Dhabi and brief them in real time. This move is intended to counter Russian preferences for excluding Europeans from the initial meeting. The source described the current state of European involvement as limited, noting that various envoys currently operate in a signal-receiving mode without a mandate to make decisions.

Ukrainian officials do not expect a breakthrough at the first meeting. They view the initial session as an opportunity for the delegations to familiarize themselves with each other, especially since the composition of the groups is expected to change. A team member who has participated in previous rounds predicted that substantive work would begin at the second meeting, with real decisions potentially emerging around the third session.

The negotiation strategy is also shifting away from specific territorial concessions. The Ukrainian side proposes focusing on the overall structure of peace after the war rather than debating which specific villages will belong to whom. The goal is to present a clear picture of how Ukraine will be protected and how its cooperation with NATO or other partners will function. A source close to the team emphasized that trust in Donald Trump in Ukraine is only 6% higher than trust in Vladimir Putin. This statistic underscores the need for structural guarantees rather than relying on verbal assurances.

European participation has been a persistent goal for Kyiv, despite opposition from Russia and the United States. Sources in Zelenskyy's diplomatic team reported that Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff conveyed the idea of a new security model to Putin, who allegedly agreed to discuss it. Björn Seibert, the Head of Cabinet and closest aide to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, has emerged as the likely EU representative for the talks.

Davyd Arakhamiia, leader of the Servant of the People parliamentary faction, communicated a specific standard for the final peace configuration to American officials. Arakhamiia argued that the deal must be acceptable to residents of Kharkiv and Dnipro. He stated that if the people in these regions view the peace formula and accept it, it will represent meaningful progress, particularly after the losses in Donbas.

A source from the President's Office added that Russian officials still believe they can break Ukraine during the winter. This assessment highlights the stakes of the upcoming negotiations. Meanwhile, Yuri Ushakov, an aide to the Russian leader, stated that Russia is ready to resume trilateral negotiations after November 4. US government sources have indicated that the talks could take place in either Abu Dhabi or Switzerland.

Zelenskyy has maintained that Ukraine will not accept limits on the size of its Armed Forces or a status of neutrality as part of any potential peace deal. The next steps depend on whether Moscow agrees to the November 3 start date. If the date is confirmed, the delegations will meet in Abu Dhabi shortly after the US congressional midterm elections. The outcome of this initial session will set the tone for the subsequent rounds of discussions.