Ahead of the scheduled trilateral consultations, Russian Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov outlined the main topic of the upcoming discussions in Abu Dhabi. According to him, the focus will be on security guarantees for Russia and Ukraine after the cessation of hostilities and the achievement of a final peace settlement, rather than a temporary ceasefire. Thus, Moscow is preemptively setting the framework for the discussion: the talks must concern final agreements, not intermediate pauses in the fighting.
Transition to a 'Working Mode'
Ushakov emphasized the need to change the format of communication between the parties. 'We need to at least move to a working mode, find some right common ground, start discussing seriously... Especially since we have now raised this topic,' the presidential aide stated. He also clarified that the name of the Russian representative for this format has not yet been announced, while Abu Dhabi is being considered among the possible venues for the next round.
Status of European Countries
Separately, Ushakov commented on the possible presence of European delegations. According to him, if representatives of European countries fly to Abu Dhabi, 'this will not be considered their participation in the talks': they can only consult, report, and take into account individual viewpoints, which will make the process 'complicated.' Russia, as noted, does not want to see the EU at the negotiating table. At the same time, according to available data, the US views Germany, France, and the UK — the so-called E3 format — as the most likely participants in discussions on ending the war.
Venue and Timeline
Ukraine, according to reports, expects to confirm holding a trilateral meeting with the US and Russia on the issue of ending the war; the likely dates are named as November 6–10 in Abu Dhabi. At the same time, the Russian Foreign Ministry unexpectedly stated earlier that Abu Dhabi will not necessarily be the venue for the talks, although previous formulations sounded different. Thus, the question of the venue remains open.
Context: Activation of the Diplomatic Track
The activation of the trilateral track followed a meeting between Vladimir Putin and US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff in St. Petersburg, which lasted almost three hours. Following the consultations, Ushakov reported that the parties substantively discussed a framework for the possible resumption of talks. Earlier, in an interview with journalist Pavel Zarubin, Putin stated that Moscow is ready to resume trilateral consultations with the participation of the US and Ukraine, the goal of which should be ensuring the security of both parties after the achievement of final peace agreements.
