Ukraine pushes Abu Dhabi talks forward

Ukraine is pushing to start trilateral peace talks with the US and Russia at least one week earlier than the current November 10 target. The new round of negotiations is scheduled for Abu Dhabi, a venue confirmed by US government sources who also identified Switzerland as a potential alternative location.

A source close to the Ukrainian negotiation team stated that the Russian delegation opposes seating European officials at the table for the initial meeting. Kyiv intends to bring an EU representative to Abu Dhabi anyway. The goal is to brief them in real time. The source noted that European envoys currently lack a formal mandate to make decisions, limiting them to an observational role.

The urgency for Kyiv is driven by winter conditions. A member of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's team explained that every day matters when citizens lack power, water, or heating. As of the evening of October 25, Moscow had not provided final confirmation of the date change. Yuri Ushakov, an aide to the Russian leader, indicated Russia is ready to resume trilateral negotiations after November 4.

Ukrainian officials do not expect a breakthrough at the first meeting. They anticipate that new delegations will need time to adjust to one another. A team member who has participated in previous talks said substantive work will likely begin at the second session. Real decisions might emerge around the third round of discussions.

Kyiv proposes focusing on the overall shape of peace rather than specific territorial exchanges initially. A source from the President's Office stated that the plan is to define how Ukraine will be protected and how cooperation with NATO will function. The source highlighted that public trust in US President Donald Trump is only 6 percent higher than trust in Russian President Vladimir Putin, meaning Ukrainians will not rely solely on Trump's assurances.

European involvement has gained traction despite opposition from Russia and the United States. Sources indicate that Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff conveyed the idea of a new security model to Putin, who allegedly agreed to discuss it. Bjorn Seibert, head of cabinet for European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, has emerged as the likely EU representative.

Davyd Arakhamiia, leader of the Servant of the People parliamentary faction, told American officials that the final peace deal must be acceptable to residents of Kharkiv and Dnipro. He argued that if people in those regions approve the formula after the Donbas, the agreement will hold. Zelenskyy has maintained that Ukraine will not accept limits on its military size or neutral status in any peace deal.