Venue of the next round of Russia-Ukraine-US talks not yet determined: Abu Dhabi and Switzerland under consideration

Two possible venues and an uncertain date

The next round of talks between the delegations of Russia, Ukraine and the United States may take place within the next two weeks — in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE, or in Switzerland. Reuters reported this citing a source. The meeting is said to aim at organizing dialogue at the level of the heads of the three states, but the exact date of the talks has not yet been set, and important issues still need to be resolved before a meeting at the leaders' level.

Statements by the parties

On October 23, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that representatives of the three countries had agreed to hold a technical-level meeting in Abu Dhabi in the first half of November, and expressed hope that the heads of state would also meet. On October 21, Vladimir Putin met in St. Petersburg with US presidential special envoy Steve Witkoff; the settlement of the war in Ukraine was discussed. After the meeting, Putin's aide Yuri Ushakov said that the next stage of trilateral talks could take place in November in Abu Dhabi, and that Moscow is ready to resume the negotiation process in the first half of November. Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov also confirmed that Abu Dhabi is being considered as the venue. According to Ushakov, the Russian delegation may include presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky and representatives of the military command.

Context of previous rounds

Putin confirmed that an agreement had been reached to resume trilateral talks on Ukraine; according to him, one of the issues will concern ensuring the security of Russia and Ukraine after the signing of peace agreements. Previous rounds of talks took place on January 23–24, February 4–5 and February 17–18; the meeting planned for March 5–8 in Abu Dhabi was postponed after the start of the US operation against Iran. In the first two rounds, the Russian delegation was led by the head of the Main Directorate of the General Staff, Igor Kostyukov, and at the third stage in Geneva — by Vladimir Medinsky. It should be noted that reports about the venue differ: Reuters, citing a source, names two options — Abu Dhabi and Switzerland, whereas Russian officials and Zelensky speak of Abu Dhabi; the editorial team does not choose between these versions.

Why it matters

The fate of the next round directly affects the prospects for resuming the negotiation process on settling the war in Ukraine, including discussion of the parties' security after possible peace agreements. Neither the date nor the final venue of the meeting has been determined, and a meeting at the heads-of-state level remains a goal rather than an achieved agreement. In practical terms, this means that the nearest measurable step remains the technical meeting in Abu Dhabi in the first half of November announced by Zelensky.