Ukraine and Russia have agreed to resume trilateral talks mediated by the United States, Axios reported, citing a US official. The parties are set to begin with technical consultations between delegations on possible agreements regarding a cessation of hostilities and security. No peace agreement or meeting between the presidents has yet been agreed.
Briefly about the main points
- Kyiv backed the US proposal in Oslo, whilst Moscow did so following talks in St Petersburg.
- The first round is due to take place at the level of delegations from the three states.
- Russia has set a target date of around 10 November.
- Zelenskyy wants to organise a meeting with Trump and Putin.
- Kyiv is open to a ceasefire along the current line of contact.
Technical consultations are intended to pave the way for potential agreements
Representatives of the US President proposed the initiative to reinstate the format Steve Witkoff і Jared Kushner. The Ukrainian side agreed to it on 20 October during talks in Oslo. Russia gave its consent the following day, after Witkof’s meeting with Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg.
To begin with, representatives from the three countries are to hold technical-level talks. Their task will be to draw up possible solutions for ending hostilities and establishing a future security framework. The US official emphasised that the parties had agreed to begin the process, rather than having concluded a peace agreement.
Moscow has set the 10th of November as a target date
Assistant to the Russian President Yuriy Ushakov He stated that Moscow was, in principle, prepared to return to the negotiations around the 10th of November 2026. He was referring to a period starting around 10 November or later, rather than a specific date for the meeting.
Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates has been mentioned as a possible venue. The parties have yet to agree on the official timetable, the composition of the delegations and the venue. Previous trilateral talks at the start of the year also took place in Abu Dhabi and Geneva.
Zelenskyy wants to take the negotiations to a three-way presidential level
Volodymyr Zelenskyy believes that the work of the delegations should pave the way for a face-to-face meeting between the President of Ukraine, Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. He put forward this proposal in Oslo, and on 21 October, in an interview with Fox News, he once again expressed his support for the trilateral format.
The Ukrainian President also called for representatives of European states to take part in the diplomatic process. In his view, some of the most complex issues relating to a peaceful settlement cannot be definitively resolved without the heads of state.
Moscow has so far only agreed to the resumption of contacts between the delegations. Confirmed There is no agreement regarding talks between Zelenskyy, Trump and Putin.
The parties are discussing a ceasefire and a security framework
During talks between US representatives and officials in Kyiv and Moscow, the issues of a ceasefire, security guarantees, the future of the occupied territories and post-war reconstruction were raised. The final agenda for the new round of talks has not yet been confirmed.
Among the possible areas of cooperation, agreements on cessation of mutual attacks on energy facilities, the exchange of prisoners of war and mechanisms for monitoring compliance with a potential agreement. Ushakov stated that Russia aims to focus on shaping the future security framework for Russia and Ukraine.
Kyiv is open to a ceasefire along the current line of contact
In an interview with Fox News, Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine is prepared to consider a cessation of hostilities along the current line of contact as a realistic first step. According to him, The priority is to stop people dying, and then move on to a broader settlement.
The President emphasised that a ceasefire would not imply legal recognition of the occupied Ukrainian territories as Russian. Kyiv links any agreements to reliable international security guarantees. At the same time, Russia continues to put forward territorial and political demands, which remain an obstacle to an agreement.
The previous rounds have yielded results on humanitarian issues, particularly regarding the exchange of prisoners, but have not led to a significant narrowing of differences on ending the war. The next practical step will be to agree on the details of a technical meeting.
