Ukraine, Russia and US May Hold Technical Peace Talks in Abu Dhabi This Week

Ukraine, Russia and the United States could send technical teams to Abu Dhabi between 6 and 10 November to try to restart stalled peace efforts, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Nothing has been formally fixed.

Zelenskyy said Washington proposed the meeting and that Kyiv supports it. In an interview, he said groups from all three countries would join in November, but he admitted he was unsure the dates or the venue would hold. “I do not know if it will be exactly these dates or exactly in Abu Dhabi, but we will support this,” he said, adding that there are “a lot of different sensitive moments”.

The Abu Dhabi talks would involve technical teams rather than heads of state. Ukraine wants to discuss limits on strikes on energy sites and shipping, prisoner exchanges and humanitarian issues. Zelenskyy has said territorial questions must be settled by national leaders. He also wants European countries to be included and has called for unity and stronger pressure on Russia.

Moscow has sounded less certain. Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov said on 28 October that regional tensions made a near-term meeting unlikely, and Russia has not proposed a date. Russia is demanding Ukrainian concessions in the Donbas region, while Kyiv wants enforceable security guarantees and refuses to give up territory.

The wider confrontation between the United States and Iran adds another obstacle, as Washington works to avoid renewed strikes and to resolve shipping restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz. Zelenskyy expects US officials to clarify the arrangements after the US midterm elections on 3 November. For now, the Abu Dhabi talks remain a proposal, not a confirmed meeting.

Source: Ukrinform, Reuters, The Media Line