The next round of trilateral discussions between negotiating delegations from the US, Ukraine, and the Russia could take place in Abu Dhabi or Switzerland within the coming weeks, Sky News reported, citing a US official.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official stated that the discussions are projected to take place in “a couple of weeks.”
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The primary objective of the working-level consultations is to establish foundations for a potential leader-level summit between the heads of state, though the official stressed that significant preparatory work remains before high-level meetings can materialize.
“The goal would be to build to a leader-level meeting eventually, but much work remains to be done before that happens,” the official explained.
The prospective diplomatic encounter follows preliminary discussions held across European and regional diplomatic hubs, including previous engagements in Oslo and Saint Petersburg.
Long-term defense financing
The report aligns with disclosures delivered by President Volodymyr Zelensky, who previously identified Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, as a primary proposed venue for three-way consultations in early or mid-November.
Addressing international security specialists at Washington’s Hudson Institute on Friday, Oct. 23, Zelensky said that any viable diplomatic framework requires verifiable security guarantees and sustained international defense commitments.
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The president outlined three prerequisites for an enduring settlement: an immediate, enforceable ceasefire, binding international defense commitments, and minimum ten-year international funding to sustain a large standing military capable of deterring future aggression.
“We need not just peace. Peace which has to be fair and strong,” Zelensky told the institute via video link. “We need a big, big strong army, minimum ten years.”
Zelensky emphasized that Ukraine’s war-affected economy cannot independently maintain the required defensive force structure without continuous outside financing.
He added that while Kyiv maintains its pursuit of NATO membership, bilateral US security guarantees modeled after NATO’s Article 5 and ratified by the US Congress could serve as an interim defense architecture.
The president also cautioned against Western concessions to Moscow – including the lifting of statutory sanctions or releasing frozen Russian state assets – without binding reciprocal safeguards, stressing that an armistice must serve as “point number one” before comprehensive political agreements can be concluded.
“We are ready to meet any day, even tomorrow, but it all depends on the Russians,” Zelensky noted, observing that Moscow had previously delayed planned diplomatic sessions by raising procedural obstacles.
Frontline stabilization
The planning for trilateral talks arrives as Kyiv articulates its operational parameters regarding prospective ceasefires.
In an interview with ABC News, Zelensky stated that Ukraine is prepared to halt combat operations along existing front lines to stop casualties as quickly as possible, while firmly ruling out the formal surrender of sovereign territory.
“Yes, we are ready to put an end to this war as quickly as possible... To freeze the front line,” Zelensky said.
Addressing public speculation suggesting that Ukraine might cede 25 percent of its sovereign territory, Zelensky clarified that Russian forces currently occupy 19.3 percent of the country. He explained that reaching a 25 percent threshold would require surrendering the unoccupied portions of the Donbas, a condition Kyiv unconditionally rejects.
“When someone speaks about 25 percent, it implies that we would have to surrender the entire Donbas, and only then would the Russians control 25 percent. Right now, they control 19.3 percent,” Zelensky explained.
The president reiterated that while Ukraine is open to freezing active frontline maneuvers along the active line of contact, Kyiv will never grant legal recognition to occupied lands as Russian sovereign territory.
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