Ukraine seeks earlier Abu Dhabi talks as winter approaches

Ukraine is asking Russia to begin the next round of peace negotiations in Abu Dhabi one week earlier than planned.

The trilateral talks involving the United States are currently scheduled to start on November 10, following the US congressional midterm elections. Kyiv and Washington are working together to convince Moscow to agree to a start date of November 3.

The push for an earlier date is driven by the approaching winter season. A source within President Zelenskyy's team noted that every week in December will be critical for the country. The official explained that when citizens lack power, water, or heating, the daily conditions directly impact the population. As of the evening of October 25, Moscow had not yet confirmed any change to the schedule.

Beyond the timing, the Ukrainian delegation is seeking to include a representative from the European Union in the discussions. Russia has expressed a preference for keeping Europeans off the table during the initial meeting. However, the Ukrainian team intends to bring the EU observer to Abu Dhabi to brief them in real time. A source close to the negotiation team pointed out that European envoys currently operate in a signal-receiving mode because they lack a specific mandate to make decisions.

Kyiv does not anticipate a breakthrough at the first meeting. Officials expect the initial session to serve as an introduction for new delegation members. Substantive work is likely to begin at the second meeting, with potential decisions emerging around the third round. A member of Zelenskyy's team who has participated in previous talks suggested that the composition of the groups will likely change, necessitating this gradual process.

The Ukrainian side is also altering the focus of the discussions. Rather than immediately debating which specific villages belong to which side, Kyiv proposes defining what peace will look like after the war. This includes outlining how Ukraine will be protected and what its cooperation with NATO will entail. A source close to the team noted that trust in US President Donald Trump in Ukraine is only six percent higher than trust in Russian President Vladimir Putin. Therefore, officials stated that they will not rely solely on Trump's assurances.

European involvement has gained traction despite resistance from both Russia and the United States. Sources in Zelenskyy's diplomatic team indicated that Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff passed the idea of a new security model to Putin. The sources claimed that Putin allegedly agreed to discuss this framework. Bjorn Seibert, the Head of Cabinet for European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, has emerged as the likely EU representative over the last two meetings.

Davyd Arakhamiia, leader of the Servant of the People parliamentary faction, told American officials that the final peace configuration must be acceptable to residents of Kharkiv and Dnipro. Arakhamiia argued that these regions are next after Donbas and must find the peace formula suitable. Yuri Ushakov, an aide to the Russian leader, stated that Russia is ready to resume trilateral negotiations after November 4. Zelenskyy has previously said Ukraine will not accept limits on its Armed Forces size or neutral status in any deal.

The next steps depend on Moscow's response to the earlier start date. The delegations will aim to establish the new security model and address the winter urgency in the coming days.