The timing of upcoming three-party talks aimed at resolving the conflict in Ukraine is tied to developments in the Middle East, a senior Kremlin aide said on Wednesday, raising questions over whether discussions will proceed next month.
Yuri Ushakov, a foreign policy adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin, said Moscow has not put forward a specific date for the negotiations. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday that he hoped a session would be held in Abu Dhabi between November 6 and November 10.
“It will also depend on the situation on the battlefield and the situation in general. You can see the situation now in the Middle East. It just doesn’t allow us to hold it in the near future. That’s my assumption,” Ushakov said, pointing to regional fallout from the US-Israeli war on Iran.
Ushakov also dismissed suggestions that European negotiators would take part in the upcoming round. Leaders from Britain, France and Germany said last weekend that Europe would have a role in US-mediated discussions between Putin and Zelensky aimed at reaching a ceasefire.
“There is absolutely no talk about this, nothing being considered,” Ushakov said. “What there is now is an agreement on resuming three-sided consultations with representatives of Russia, Ukraine and the United States.”
The United States has steered diplomatic efforts to end the 4-1/2-year-old conflict in Ukraine, while European nations have remained largely sidelined despite being Kyiv's closest allies and largest military suppliers. While Ushakov stated over the weekend that Europe should be involved because its stance could be crucial, he noted on Wednesday that European inclusion was not raised during Putin's Tuesday telephone calls with Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere.
