Trump says US-Russia-Ukraine talks coming soon
SingTao · 4 SOURCESabout 3 hours ago4 MIN
Summary
US President Donald Trump said trilateral talks involving the United States, Russia and Ukraine on the war would take place soon, and said both Moscow and Kyiv want an agreement. US officials cited by the reports said the meeting could be held within two weeks in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates or in Switzerland. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the talks are expected in November and would begin at a technical or working level before any higher-level leaders' meeting. Russia, however, said any resumption after November 4 should be seen as preliminary expert-level contact and not a breakthrough.
Key Points
- Trump said the US-Russia-Ukraine talks would happen soon and argued both Russia and Ukraine are willing to reach a deal.
- US officials said the trilateral meeting may take place within two weeks, with Abu Dhabi or Switzerland under consideration as venues.
- Zelenskyy said on Sunday, October 25, that technical-level trilateral talks are planned for November to prepare for possible leaders' dialogue later.
- Kyiv said priority topics include ceasefire arrangements for energy facilities and the Black Sea, while territorial issues remain a Ukrainian red line
- Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said Russia is ready to resume talks after November 4, but warned the planned session is only an initial expert contact.
- Beyond the headline announcement, the three sides are describing the proposed format differently. Zelenskyy said Ukraine is ready for technical teams to begin talks, but does not want a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin only after all sanctions are lifted, arguing sanctions were imposed because of aggression and should remain a source of pressure alongside frozen Russian assets. He also said discussions touching on territory can only be handled at the leaders' level, and that Ukraine will not accept Russian-imposed conditions on neutrality or limits on the size and capabilities of its armed forces
- Zelenskyy also said Ukraine's access to the Starshield system and US intelligence sharing had been fully restored, with speeds reaching 260 miles per hour, or about 420 kilometres per hour. At the same time, he said progress in obtaining missiles for Patriot air-defence systems remained "very slow". In a separate development, he said a temporary ceasefire would begin on Tuesday in Oleshky in the southern Kherson region for several days to allow humanitarian evacuations, with teams involving Ukrainian, US and Russian personnel; Russia would clear mines, while Ukraine would verify demining work and join follow-up humanitarian operations
- Moscow has framed the possible talks more narrowly. Ushakov said Russia was preparing to restore the trilateral format after November 4 and that much work remained before any peace agreement on Ukraine could be reached. According to the reports, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said any trilateral meeting would focus on how to ensure Russian and Ukrainian security after a peace agreement is reached. Sing Tao also reported that Putin met visiting US special envoy Steve Witkoff in St Petersburg for about three hours on October 21, after which Ushakov said Putin had proposed restarting trilateral talks in mid-November to discuss a post-conflict Russia-Ukraine security architecture
- The diplomatic calendar may widen further in Asia. Ushakov said Russia was also preparing for a possible Russia-China-US leaders' meeting during the APEC summit in Shenzhen, and said China was taking the negotiations very seriously. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov separately said Putin and Trump could also hold a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the summit.
Why It Matters
For Hong Kong readers, any movement toward even limited technical talks could affect global market sentiment, energy prices and wider geopolitical risk that feed into trade and investment conditions. The mention of possible meetings in Abu Dhabi, Switzerland and at the APEC summit in Shenzhen also places Asia more directly in the diplomatic picture, making the regional dimension of the war more relevant to the city.