Russia-Ukraine talks planned for November in UAE: Kremlin

The US-brokered talks are the first planned since negotiations stopped earlier this year.Moscow has confirmed that trilateral talks between Russia, Ukraine and the United States have been scheduled for November.The planned negotiations, aimed at ending Russia’s war on its neighbour, will be held in the United Arab Emirates, the Kremlin’s spokesperson said on Friday.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Germany arrests Ukrainian man accused of spying for Russialist 2 of 3Trump says Musk restored Ukraine’s Starlink access amid Russia warlist 3 of 3Europe needs a war economyend of listUS-brokered talks were held earlier this year, but made little progress. The meetings then lapsed as the Trump administration was focused on its war on Iran.However, Russia signalled its willingness to reengage after US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff travelled to meet with President Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg this week.The next round of talks is now “planned for the first half of November in Abu Dhabi” and “will take place in a trilateral format,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters.After Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met Witkoff on Tuesday, Kyiv had said it hoped for talks “as soon as possible”.However, hopes of making significant progress are slim. Previous talks have struggled to produce results, with Russia maintaining a list of hardline demands, including that Ukraine hands over large parts of its territory and agrees not to join NATO.In a televised interview aired late on Thursday, Putin said that any trilateral talks should focus on the long-term security arrangements for a final peace deal, not a “short” truce.Confirmation of the November talks comes amid growing strain on relations between Kyiv and members of the US government, and signs of improving ties between United States President Donald Trump and Putin.