MOSCOW — The timing of the next round of three-way talks on a settlement in Ukraine is linked to the conflict in the Middle East and to the situation on the battlefield, Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov said on Wednesday, casting doubt on whether the meeting will take place next month as proposed, according to Reuters.
Ushakov, quoted by Russian news agencies, said Moscow had not yet proposed a specific date. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Wednesday he hoped a meeting would take place in Abu Dhabi between November 6 and November 10, Reuters reported. No date had been confirmed in the report, and a delay would not by itself mean diplomacy had collapsed.
Ushakov said the timing would also depend on the battlefield and the general situation, pointing to the regional fallout from the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. He said there had been no discussion of having European negotiators attend the next round, even though the leaders of Britain, Germany and France said last weekend that Europe would play a role in U.S.-mediated talks on a ceasefire. What exists now, he said, is an agreement on resuming three-sided consultations with representatives of Russia, Ukraine and the United States.
The United States has led efforts to move talks forward on the war, now in its fourth and a half year, leaving European countries — Ukraine’s closest allies and biggest military backers — largely on the sidelines, Reuters reported. Earlier rounds have stalled over core differences, including territory in eastern Ukraine and security guarantees, and Moscow has repeatedly rejected calls for a full and unconditional ceasefire that Kyiv has supported.
A separate local development underlined how limited the openings remain. Officials cited by the Associated Press said a short humanitarian ceasefire in the occupied city of Oleshky had held for its first hours to allow aid delivery and possible evacuations. That local truce is distinct from any national peace agreement, and fighting continued elsewhere.
What happens next is a decision on a date. If Washington confirms an Abu Dhabi meeting, the talks would be the first three-way round in months; if no date is set, consultations are expected to continue without a formal session. For the Kremlin aide’s remarks, see Reuters’ report on the talks timing.
