The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has stated that Kyiv hopes to hold a trilateral meeting between the negotiating teams of Ukraine, the US and Russia as early as the beginning of November. The Head of State made this announcement on 26 October following a meeting with the Speaker of the Lithuanian Seimas, Juozas Olekas. The parties also discussed Ukraine’s accession to the European Union and the priorities of the Lithuanian Presidency of the Council of the EU in the first half of 2027. Ukraine aims to open the last two negotiation clusters by the end of this year, so that it can move on to closing the negotiation chapters next year.
Zelenskyy is hoping for talks with Russia as early as the beginning of November
During a meeting with Juozas Olekas The President of Ukraine spoke about the outcome of recent diplomatic talks in Oslo and the preparations for the next round of negotiations involving the US.
Zelenskyy emphasised that the Ukrainian side is keen to hold the event as soon as possible tripartite meeting at the level of the negotiating teams. Kyiv expects this to take place in early November.
The President had previously announced that relevant agreements had been reached with US representatives Steve Witkoff і Jared Kushner. According to him, Washington also supports speeding up the negotiation process.
On 23 October, Zelenskyy clarified that the meeting is planned to take place in the first half of November, most likely in Abu Dhabi. However, the final dates depend on Russia’s position. Ukraine is ready to send a delegation on any agreed date.
Ukraine wants to open the last two negotiation clusters with the EU
A separate topic of discussion at the meeting between Zelenskyy and Olekas was Ukraine’s European integration. The President emphasised the need to complete the opening of negotiation clusters by the end of 2026.
Ukraine is keen for the next stage of negotiations on membership of the European Union to take place during Lithuania’s presidency of the Council of the EU.
This refers to the possibility of moving on to the closure of negotiation chapters, provided that Ukraine fulfils the necessary conditions. This will enable the accession process to continue without lengthy breaks between the individual stages.
On 13 October, the European Union opened two further negotiation clusters — «Internal Market» and «Competitiveness and Inclusive Growth». Kyiv is therefore focusing on opening the last two of the six clusters.
At the same time, the opening of all clusters does not mean that the accession negotiations have been concluded. Ukraine must fulfil the relevant requirements of the European Union, after which individual chapters of the negotiations may be closed.
Lithuania has made support for Ukraine a priority of its presidency
Lithuania will hold the Presidency of the Council of the European Union from 1 January to 30 June 2027. This is in accordance with the approved rota for the rotation of EU Member States.
During his visit to Kyiv on 26 October, Juozas Olekas confirmed that support for Ukraine would be one of the key priorities of the Lithuanian Presidency. Vilnius will pay particular attention to issues of security, defence and the enlargement of the European Union.
On the same day, Olekas held talks with the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk. They discussed the possibility of involving Lithuanian experts in supporting European integration reforms in Ukraine.
The parties also discussed ways of strengthening sanctions against Russia, the establishment of a Special Tribunal on the crime of aggression, and the return of Ukrainian children unlawfully displaced by Russia.
Stefanchuk specifically thanked Lithuania for its defence aid, which totalled more than 1.1 billion euros, and for its support for Ukraine’s energy sector in the run-up to winter.
During his meeting with Olekas, Zelenskyy also thanked the Lithuanian people for their consistent support for Ukraine and emphasised the importance of continued cooperation.
