‘We Haven’t Sent Any Signals Yet’: Kremlin Says Ukraine Peace Talks Depend on Battlefield, Rules Out European Role

Russia’s next round of trilateral talks with Ukraine and the US could take place in Abu Dhabi after Nov. 4, but Moscow has yet to confirm a date and will not invite European representatives, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said. “The situation on the battlefield and the overall situation” will determine when negotiations on ending Russia’s war against Ukraine resume, Ushakov told Interfax.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. He accused Ukraine of derailing the previous round of talks, claiming it had been agreed upon before “the Ukrainians themselves disrupted it.” “We have not sent any signals yet,” Ushakov said, adding that the Russian delegation’s composition had not been finalized, although its core members were already in place. “There is absolutely no discussion of that at this stage, and no one is planning to invite them to the negotiating table,” he said of European participation. Zelensky says talks could take place on Nov. 10 Ushakov’s remarks came a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said trilateral negotiations could take place on Nov. 10. “We very much hope that the escalation in the Middle East, which is being discussed so much right now, will not get in the way,” Zelensky said in an interview with The Sun, published on Wednesday, Oct. 28. He added that the talks had initially been scheduled for the end of next month, but the timeline could be brought forward. Other Topics of Interest Russian Drones Strike Kharkiv Educational Facility as Attacks Across Ukraine Kill and Injure Civilians An overnight strike hit a Kharkiv educational facility, following Russian attacks on civilian sites in Rivne, Dnipro, Chernihiv and Sumy. Kyiv wants negotiations to begin as soon as possible. Zelensky said he had proposed holding a meeting on Sunday but decided to wait until voting in the United States had concluded. The summit is expected to take place in Abu Dhabi, led by a US delegation. If held, it would mark the first in-person negotiations involving Ukraine, the US and Russia since US President Donald Trump eased sanctions against Russia. Kremlin previously called off negotiations A previous round of trilateral talks was planned for late September, following Russia’s State Duma elections. The Kremlin ultimately called off the meeting, accusing Ukraine of attacks on election day, including against election commissions. Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow had been prepared to resume negotiations but would reconsider following what he described as Ukraine’s actions. The prospect of returning to a trilateral format was discussed on Oct. 21, when Putin met with Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, in St. Petersburg. Following that meeting, Ushakov said Moscow was ready to resume consultations in the second week of November. He identified establishing a security framework for Russia and Ukraine as the main topic of the negotiations. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 90% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.