Ukraine seeks to start Abu Dhabi talks Nov. 3 to beat winter deadline
Kyiv is pressing Washington and Moscow to move the trilateral meeting up by one week, citing the urgency of securing infrastructure before December.
By Rafael Collins ·
Ukraine is attempting to pull the start date of the next round of trilateral peace negotiations forward by at least one week. The new target date is November 3, rather than the currently planned November 10. This shift would compress the timeline for the talks scheduled to occur in Abu Dhabi following the United States congressional midterm elections.
The push for an earlier start is driven by the approaching winter months. A source in President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's team explained that every week in December carries weight for the country. When power, water, or heating is missing, each day plays a role in the nation's stability. Kyiv and Washington are currently working to convince the Russian delegation to accept this accelerated schedule.
As of the evening of October 25, Moscow had not yet provided final confirmation that it would agree to the date change. Russian officials have previously indicated readiness to resume talks after November 4. However, the Ukrainian side is moving quickly to lock in the earlier date before the weather deteriorates further.
A central point of contention in the current diplomatic efforts is the role of European partners. Kyiv is persistently seeking to seat an EU representative at the table, despite opposition from Russia and frequent resistance from the United States. A source close to the negotiation team noted that the Russians do not want Europeans present during the first meeting. The Ukrainian team plans to bring them along and brief them in real time in Abu Dhabi.
The logistical challenge for Europe is the lack of a designated, empowered representative. Current EU envoys are operating in a signal-receiving mode without the mandate to make decisions. However, over the last two meetings, a specific figure has emerged as the likely representative: Bjorn Seibert. He serves as the Head of Cabinet and is the closest aide to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Ukrainian officials do not expect the first meeting to yield a breakthrough. A team member who has participated in previous rounds of negotiations stated that the initial session will serve to allow new delegations to get accustomed to one another. Substantive work is expected to begin at the second meeting. Real decisions may only emerge around the third session. This phased approach acknowledges that substantive agreements will require multiple rounds of discussion.
The Ukrainian strategy also involves changing the framing of the peace deal. Instead of immediately debating which villages transfer to which side, Kyiv proposes defining the post-war security architecture first. A source close to the team emphasized the need to present a clear picture of how Ukraine will be protected and how cooperation with NATO will function. In Ukraine, trust in President Donald Trump is only 6% higher than trust in President Vladimir Putin. This gap suggests that local populations will not rely solely on Trump's assurances for long-term security.
Davyd Arakhamiia, leader of the Servant of the People parliamentary faction, communicated a specific benchmark to the Americans. The final peace configuration must be acceptable to residents of Kharkiv and Dnipro. If the inhabitants of those regions look at the proposed formula and agree that it suits them, the agreement will represent genuine progress. This criterion is designed to ensure the deal has domestic viability beyond the political elite.
