Kyiv asks Moscow to start Abu Dhabi talks on Nov. 3

Ukraine wants to start trilateral peace talks in Abu Dhabi on November 3, one week earlier than currently planned. The Ukrainian delegation is pushing Washington and Moscow to agree to this shift. The original schedule sets the meeting for November 10, after the United States midterm elections. A source close to the negotiation team said Kyiv is working with the US to convince Russia to accept the earlier date.

Kyiv also wants to seat a European Union representative at the table. Russia has opposed this idea for the first meeting. The Ukrainian team plans to bring the EU envoy along and brief them in real time. The main obstacle is that the EU does not yet have a designated representative with a mandate to make decisions. A source close to the team noted that current envoys can only operate in a signal-receiving mode.

The urgency of the timeline is driven by winter conditions. A source in President Zelenskyy’s team explained that every week matters in December. They noted that when power, water, and heating are absent, every single day plays a role. As of the evening of October 25, Moscow had not confirmed the date change.

Kyiv does not expect a breakthrough at the first meeting. The Ukrainian side anticipates that substantive agreements will require at least several rounds of discussion. A source from the President’s Office stated that Russian officials still believe they can break Ukraine this winter. This assessment reflects the pressure Moscow feels to achieve a favorable outcome before winter deepens.

A member of Zelenskyy’s team who has participated in previous negotiations predicted updates to the composition of the groups. They expect the new delegations to get used to each other at the first meeting. Substantive work is expected to begin at the second meeting. Real decisions may emerge around the third round of talks.

The Ukrainian side proposes a different approach to territory. Instead of immediately discussing which village goes to whom, they want to ask what peace will look like after the war ends. A source close to the team said Ukraine needs to present a picture of how the region will look. This includes how Ukraine will be protected and what cooperation with NATO will look like.

That same source pointed out that trust in President Trump in Ukraine is only 6% higher than trust in Vladimir Putin. They argued that nobody in Ukraine will rely purely on Trump’s assurances. This context informs the Ukrainian push for concrete security guarantees rather than verbal promises.

Ukrainian diplomats maintain that Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff passed the idea of discussing a new security model to Putin. They believe he agreed to the concept. Over the last two meetings, an EU representative has emerged. Björn Seibert, Head of Cabinet and closest aide to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, is the likely candidate for this role.

Davyd Arakhamiia, leader of the Servant of the People parliamentary faction, told the Americans that the final peace configuration must be acceptable to residents of Kharkiv and Dnipro. He stated that if residents of these regions look at the peace formula and agree it suits them, that will be real progress. This view highlights the domestic political constraints facing any deal.

US government sources previously indicated the next round of talks could take place in Abu Dhabi or Switzerland. Yuri Ushakov, an aide to the Russian leader, claimed Russia is ready to resume trilateral negotiations after November 4. Zelenskyy has stated Ukraine will not agree to limits on the size of its Armed Forces or to neutral status as part of any potential peace deal.