A new round of trilateral peace talks involving Ukraine, Russia and the US is due to take place in the first half of November in Abu Dhabi (UAE). However, the mere fact that talks are taking place does not mean that hostilities have ceased, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated on 26 October.
Peskov reiterated that Russian forces are striking ‘military and paramilitary targets’ in Ukraine, despite numerous reports of regular attacks on civilian infrastructure. According to him, Ukraine is also continuing to carry out strikes. As an example, he cited last night’s drone attack on Voronezh.
It had previously been reported that an agreement had been reached to resume trilateral talks between Ukraine, the US and Russia. The meeting is most likely to take place after the US mid-term elections, scheduled for 3 November.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Russia cannot dictate the terms of security guarantees for Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire. He also emphasised that restrictions on the size of the Ukrainian army and issues of the country’s sovereignty are not up for discussion, and spoke out against easing international sanctions against Russia.
Russian Presidential Aide Yuri Ushakov proposed involving representatives from European countries that support Ukraine in the negotiations.
The British newspaper The Telegraph, citing diplomatic sources, reported that Moscow may use a new round of talks to put pressure on NATO. According to the publication, the Kremlin intends to demand that the alliance’s military presence in Central and Eastern Europe be reduced to 1997 levels.
Putin had already made such a demand to the West at the end of 2021 — shortly before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. At that time, Moscow’s demand was rejected.