Ukraine wants talks with Russia to start sooner in Abu Dhabi

Kyiv is pushing to start peace talks with Russia and the United States earlier than planned.

The current schedule sets the first meeting for after the US midterm elections. That date is likely November 10.

A source in President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's office told Ukrainska Pravda that time is short. The source said, "In December, every week will be important. When you have no power, water or heating, every single day plays a role."

Ukrainian officials are jointly asking Moscow to agree to an earlier date. As of the evening of October 25, Russia had not confirmed a change.

Another source in the President's Office noted that Russia still believes it can break Ukraine this winter.

Kyiv does not expect a final agreement at the first meeting. A team member said new delegations will need to adjust to one another. Substantial work is expected to begin at the second session. Real decisions might occur around the third meeting.

Ukraine also wants a European Union representative at the table. Russian officials do not want Europeans present for the first meeting. The Ukrainian team plans to brief EU envoys in real time during the sessions.

An EU figure has begun to emerge for this role. Bjorn Seibert is the head of cabinet for European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Ukraine proposes changing the focus of the discussions. Instead of debating specific villages, Kyiv wants to define what peace looks like after the war. This includes regional structure, security protection, and NATO cooperation.

A source close to the team said trust in Donald Trump in Ukraine is only 6% higher than trust in Vladimir Putin. No one will act purely on Trump's assurances.

Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff reportedly passed the idea of a new security model to Putin. He allegedly agreed to discuss it.

Davyd Arakhamiia, leader of the Servant of the People faction, told the Americans that any settlement must be acceptable to residents of Kharkiv and Dnipro. He noted these cities would be next after the Donbas region if the conflict expands further west or south without a deal in place. US government sources say the next round could be held in Abu Dhabi or Switzerland. Yuri Ushakov, an aide to the Russian leader, said Russia is ready to resume talks after November 4. Zelenskyy has stated Ukraine will not accept limits on its military size or neutral status in any peace deal.