Zelenskyy Says Russia Appears Serious About Abu Dhabi Negotiations

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said there are signs that Russia is serious about a meeting of negotiating teams in Abu Dhabi. He pointed to a recent conversation between European leaders and Russian leader Vladimir Putin as the basis for that assessment.

Zelenskyy made the remarks while speaking with journalists, as reported by Ukrinform and European Pravda. He said a briefing was held in Oslo on the topics for a planned trilateral meeting of negotiating groups in Abu Dhabi in November. According to him, the participants wanted to discuss the matter with him and then with the leader of Russia.

Some of Kyiv's partners spoke to Putin on the morning of 27 October, Zelenskyy said. They conveyed a common position and listened to his views. "The partners conveyed that there are indications that the Russians are serious about the meeting in Abu Dhabi," he said.

The agenda, as Zelenskyy described it, is to include initial de-escalation steps, priorities for the Ukrainian side, particularly on security, and the broader goal of ending the war.

He added that the technical groups could take up de-escalation steps regarding energy and at sea, the exchange of prisoners of war and their return home, and discussions on the format of a trilateral meeting at the leadership level. Zelenskyy said this agenda is Ukraine's own and was discussed with American partners.

Security guarantees for Ukraine remain an important issue, the president stressed. "We have a request to the Americans and Europeans regarding that matter," he said. He noted that Russia raises the same question, stating that it also needs security guarantees. "This is what is known as of today," he said.

Earlier, Zelenskyy said the planned trilateral meeting of technical teams from Ukraine, Russia and the United States in early November depends on the American side.

The reported tone of the Putin call was less encouraging. During a phone call with Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, Putin reportedly spent almost the entire conversation on the "initial reasons for the conflict" with Ukraine instead of discussing how to end the war.