The trilateral talks involving Russia, Ukraine and the US are expected to take place in early November as decided in previous talks between President Vladimir Putin and US envoy Steve Witkoff.
But it seems that these talks are going to hit a roadblock. According to Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov, the timing of the next round of three-way talks on settling the Ukraine conflict depends on various factors including the conflict in the Middle East, thereby casting doubt on peace talks.
“It will also depend on the situation on the battlefield and the situation in general. You can see the situation now in the Middle East. It just doesn’t allow us to hold it in the near future. That’s my assumption,” Ushakov told journalists.
Ushakov also cast doubt on the presence of European negotiators at the next round of talks. However, the UK, France and Germany expressed their desire to play a constructive role in talks to secure a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine.
Ushakov was quoted as saying, “There is absolutely no talk about this, nothing being considered. What there is now is an agreement on resuming three-sided consultations with representatives of Russia, Ukraine and the United States.”
The Russian presidential aide previously stated over the weekend that Europe should be involved in peace discussions, noting that its stance could be crucial.
Ushakov clarified on Wednesday that potential European participation was not discussed during President Vladimir Putin’s phone call on Tuesday with Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.
Speaking about the timeline of talks, Russia has not yet proposed any specific date and place, but Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy hoped to conduct a meeting in Abu Dhabi between November 6-10.
