Kyiv expects three-way technical negotiations in Abu Dhabi next month, Zelensky says
President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukrainian, Russian, and U.S. negotiating teams plan to meet in Abu Dhabi in early November for technical-level peace discussions. He said a leaders' meeting involving himself, Vladimir Putin, and Donald Trump would follow if those talks make progress. Zelensky also emphasized security guarantees for Ukraine, European participation, and long-term funding for a large Ukrainian army after any settlement.
Zelensky, speaking by video to the Hudson Institute on Oct. 23, said the Abu Dhabi session is intended for the first half of November, though Kyiv is prepared to attend immediately and blames Moscow for an earlier October meeting not occurring. He described a sequence: technical teams first, then a leaders’ meeting if progress is made.
He also cited unresolved military issues: Starshield/Starlink speed caps remain and interceptor deliveries are delayed, limiting air-defense and strike coordination. Zelensky said he had just spoken with U.S. envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff; Witkoff had met him in Oslo before seeing Putin.
If technical talks yield progress, affected groups could include Ukrainian civilians and soldiers facing continued strikes, as security guarantees and army funding shape postwar burdens. European governments and taxpayers may face decisions about participation and long-term support, while U.S.-Ukraine tensions could influence public trust and alliance cohesion. Families displaced by war may view any leaders’ meeting as a signal of whether settlement is credible, though outcomes remain uncertain.