Moscow says Ukraine, US talks 'planned' for Abu Dhabi

MOSCOW

Talks between Russia, Ukraine and the United States are planned to resume in November in the United Arab Emirates, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Oct. 23.

Russia indicated its readiness to resume the talks, which have been at a standstill since the beginning of the year, following a meeting this week in Saint Petersburg between President Vladimir Putin and U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff.

The next round of talks towards ending the Ukraine war, which is grinding through its fifth year, are "planned for the first half of November in Abu Dhabi" and "will take place in a trilateral format," Peskov told reporters.

The announcement came amid intensified diplomatic efforts by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration, with Witkoff first meeting on Oct. 20 with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders in Oslo, before meeting with Putin on Oct. 21.

Following the meetings, both Kiev and Moscow voiced their readiness to resume direct talks mediated by Washington.

Russia, which launched its full-scale offensive against Ukraine in February 2022, has suggested talks could take place "around Nov. 10", while Zelensky has called for the discussions to happen "as soon as possible."

In a televised interview aired late on Oct. 22, Putin meanwhile said that any trilateral talks would focus on the security arrangements of a final peace deal and not a "short" truce.