Russia and Ukraine plan November talks with US, but venue remains open

Ukraine and Russia say they plan to send negotiating teams to meet US representatives in the first half of November. The proposed meeting would revive a three-way format that has made little reported progress towards ending the war.

On 23 October, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said there was an agreement to hold talks at team level, though he added that he hoped the meeting would happen. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the talks were planned for Abu Dhabi. Reuters also reported that Zelensky had named Abu Dhabi, but an unnamed US official told Sky News that Switzerland remained another possible venue.

An American official familiar with earlier discussions told the Associated Press that US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner had proposed a team-level meeting during talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on 21 October.

The three countries’ representatives met twice in Abu Dhabi earlier this year and again in Geneva in February. The Associated Press reported little progress beyond prisoner exchanges. Zelensky said a meeting expected in October had not taken place, blaming Russia. He wants any renewed talks between the teams to lead eventually to a meeting of the countries’ leaders.