Talks to end the war may be delayed: Kremlin points to the Middle East

The next round of talks between Ukraine, the United States and Russia on ending the war may be postponed due to the aggravation of the situation in the Middle East. The Kremlin has not yet agreed on a date for the meeting, and the prospects for the talks in November remain uncertain. At the same time, Moscow has not shown any willingness to support a ceasefire.

This was reported by Reuters, citing Vladimir Putin’s foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov.

Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed hope that the trilateral meeting would take place in Abu Dhabi from November 6 to 10. However, the Russian side has not yet named a specific date.

Ushakov said that the organization of the negotiations will depend on developments both on the front and outside Ukraine. Among the factors, he specifically mentioned the situation in the Middle East.

“Everything will depend on the situation on the battlefield and the situation in general. You see what is happening in the Middle East now. This simply does not allow for a meeting in the near future,” the Kremlin representative said.

Another issue is the possible participation of European countries in the negotiations. According to Ushakov, such participation has not been discussed at this time: the agreement concerns the resumption of consultations in the Ukraine-US-Russia format.

This statement differs from Ushakov’s previous rhetoric. Last week, he spoke about the need to involve Europe in the discussion of a peaceful settlement and emphasized the importance of the position of European states.

Separately, Moscow’s position on the cessation of hostilities was analyzed by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). Analysts saw no signs that the Kremlin has reconsidered its attitude towards the ceasefire proposals ahead of the next round of talks.

The ISW report notes that statements by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov and Yuri Ushakov indicate the unchanging nature of the Russian approach.

“Recent statements by Peskov and Ushakov indicate that the Kremlin’s position on the eve of the upcoming trilateral talks remains unchanged: rejection of ceasefire proposals,” analysts emphasized.

As a reminder, US President Donald Trump said that he expects to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin in the near future. According to him, there is significant progress in relations between Washington and Moscow regarding the war in Ukraine.

As reported, a trilateral meeting of Ukraine, the United States and Russia is planned to be held in the United Arab Emirates in early November. The parties want to discuss the first steps towards de-escalation, in particular in the energy sector and at sea, as well as the exchange of prisoners . For Kyiv, security issues and the end of the war remain priorities.

By the way, against the backdrop of increased diplomatic contacts , attackers are sending messages to representatives of the diplomatic corps and international partners on behalf of the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, Rustem Umerov . They are trying to obtain information about Ukraine’s cooperation with partners and international negotiations.

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