Ukraine proposes Nov. 3 start for Abu Dhabi talks

Ukrainian officials are urging Russian counterparts to begin trilateral peace talks in Abu Dhabi on November 3, one week ahead of the previously tentative schedule. The shift is driven by the urgent need to secure energy infrastructure before winter conditions deteriorate. Kyiv is also seeking to bring a European representative into the room, despite Russian preferences for a smaller initial gathering.

The next round of negotiations involving the United States, Ukraine, and Russia was originally set to start around November 10, following the US midterm elections. A source within President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s team explained the urgency of moving the date forward. The official noted that in December, every week counts when citizens lack power, water, or heating. As of the evening of October 25, Moscow had not yet confirmed the change in dates.

Ukrainian diplomats have been working with Washington to persuade Russia to accept the earlier start. They also want to involve the European Union in the process. A source close to the negotiation team said Russians do not want Europeans seated at the table for the first meeting. However, the Ukrainian team plans to bring them along to brief them in real time in Abu Dhabi. The source added that European envoys currently lack a designated representative and a mandate to make decisions, leaving them in a signal-receiving mode.

Björn Seibert, the Head of Cabinet to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, has emerged as the likely EU representative. Ukrainian sources indicate that Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff passed the idea of a new security model to Vladimir Putin, who allegedly agreed to the concept. This move contrasts with previous US and Russian resistance to including European partners.

Kyiv does not expect a breakthrough at the first meeting. A member of Zelenskyy’s team who has participated in prior negotiations predicted that new delegations will spend the first session getting acquainted. Substantive work is expected to begin at the second meeting, with potential decisions emerging around the third. The Ukrainian side is proposing to define the general shape of post-war security rather than debating specific territorial adjustments immediately.

Davyd Arakhamiia, leader of the Servant of the People parliamentary faction, told American officials that the final peace configuration must be acceptable to residents of Kharkiv and Dnipro. Arakhamiia argued that if people in those regions accept the formula, it represents meaningful progress. He noted that trust in President Donald Trump in Ukraine is only 6% higher than trust in Putin, meaning assurances alone are insufficient.

A source from the President’s Office stated that Russia still believes it can break Ukraine this winter. Ukrainian leadership maintains that they will not agree to limits on their armed forces size or to neutral status in any deal. The next step involves finalizing the date and composition of the delegations before the delegations travel to the Middle East.