On Friday, local time (October 23), Ukrainian President Zelenskyy confirmed that the trilateral talks between Ukraine, Russia and the United States are scheduled to take place in Abu Dhabi, UAE, in early November.
During a teleconference at the Hudson Institute in the United States on that day, Zelenskyy revealed that after talks with U.S. envoy Wittkoff and Kushner, the meeting has been scheduled for early November. He emphasized that the Ukrainian side is ready at any time, and the specific date of the meeting depends on the Russian side.
"Of course, the sooner is better, we're always prepared for a meeting, even tomorrow, but everything depends on Russia."
Zelenskyy emphasized that any peace agreement must include strong security guarantees for Ukraine, as well as ten years of financial support to maintain the operation of Ukrainian troops.
He also stated that the top priority is to ensure that the talks can take place. The Ukrainian side hopes that, in addition to the US, representatives from Europe and other partners will also participate in the talks. He further said that it is necessary for the trilateral talks to transition from a technical level to a leader-level discussion, as “key issues can only be resolved at the highest level.”
In addition, Zelenskyy mentioned that although the US has promised to remove speed restrictions, the Ukrainian military is still working to resolve the connection issues with the Starlink system. He said that the speed limits for Starlink and Star Shield terminals have not been lifted, which poses difficulties for the Ukrainian military. He also mentioned that the supply of interceptor missiles used to defend against Russian ballistic missiles is still delayed.
Earlier that day, Russian President's press secretary Peskov announced the tripartite talks plan. He said that the main topic of the meeting between Russia, the United States, Ukraine, and Abu Dhabi is how to ensure the security of Russia and Ukraine after achieving peace. He also emphasized that without security, a comprehensive solution to the Ukraine issue cannot be achieved.
