Zelenskyy’s team pushes for Nov. 3 Abu Dhabi talks start

Ukrainian officials are urging the United States and Russia to begin trilateral peace negotiations in Abu Dhabi on Nov. 3, one week ahead of the current tentative schedule. The push aims to start talks before the winter season intensifies pressures on civilian infrastructure. A source close to the negotiation team stated that the Ukrainian side is actively working to convince Moscow to accept the earlier date.

The original plan for the next round of talks, which includes the U.S., Ukraine, and Russia, was to begin on Nov. 10, following the U.S. congressional midterm elections. Kyiv, in coordination with Washington, is now pressing for the shift. A member of President Zelenskyy’s team explained the urgency by noting that in December, every week becomes critical when residents lack power, water, or heating. As of the evening of Oct. 25, Moscow had not provided final confirmation of the date change.

The Ukrainian delegation also intends to include a representative from the European Union at the first meeting. Russia has opposed seating European officials at the table for the initial session. However, the Ukrainian team plans to bring the EU envoy to Abu Dhabi and brief them in real time. The source noted that European envoys currently operate in a signal-receiving mode without a mandate to make decisions. The likely candidate for the EU role is Björn Seibert, Head of Cabinet to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Negotiators do not expect a breakthrough at the first session. A team member who has previously participated in these talks predicted that the initial meeting will serve for new delegations to familiarize themselves with one another. Substantive work is expected to begin at the second meeting, with potential decisions emerging around the third round. The Ukrainian side proposes focusing on the broader shape of post-war peace and NATO cooperation rather than immediately debating specific territorial boundaries.

Davyd Arakhamiia, leader of the Servant of the People parliamentary faction, told American counterparts that the final peace configuration must be acceptable to residents of Kharkiv and Dnipro. He argued that if these regions accept the formula, it represents real progress. Sources in Zelenskyy’s diplomatic team believe that Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff conveyed the idea of a new security model to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who allegedly agreed to discuss it.

Yuri Ushakov, an aide to the Russian leader, previously stated that Russia is ready to resume trilateral negotiations after Nov. 4. Zelenskyy has maintained that Ukraine will not agree to limits on its Armed Forces size or to neutral status in any deal. The next step involves waiting for Moscow to respond to Kyiv’s request for the Nov. 3 start date and the inclusion of the EU representative.