Russia-Ukraine talks planned for November in UAE: Kremlin
Russia has confirmed trilateral talks with Ukraine and the United States are scheduled for November in the United Arab Emirates, the first such negotiations since earlier this year.
The planned negotiations, aimed at ending Russia's war on its neighbor, will be held in the United Arab Emirates, the Kremlin's spokesperson said on Friday. US-brokered talks were held earlier this year but made little progress, with the meetings lapsing as the Trump administration was focused on its war on Iran.
Russia signalled its willingness to reengage after US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff travelled to meet with President Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg this week. After Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met Witkoff on Tuesday, Kyiv had said it hoped for talks 'as soon as possible'.
Slim hopes for progress
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.
Any trilateral talks should focus on the long-term security arrangements for a final peace deal, not a 'short' truce.
Strained relations
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. Trump, whose war on Iran has provoked rising energy prices that have dented his political support ahead of midterm elections, has criticised Ukraine's targeting of Russian energy infrastructure.
Meanwhile, he eased sanctions on Moscow and made a deal to buy 300,000 tonnes of Russian diesel. Moscow announced on Friday that the first shipment was on its way to New York. European leaders have said that the deal made peace between Ukraine and Russia harder to achieve by giving Russia 'hope'.
Prisoner exchange
Later on Friday, Russia's Defence Ministry announced that Moscow and Kyiv had each exchanged 270 prisoners of war. The ministry was quoted by state media as saying that the freed Russian servicemen were in Belarus and would be transported to Russia once they had received psychological and medical assistance.
Prisoner swaps are rare ground on which Russia and Ukraine have maintained contact throughout the conflict, with thousands exchanged since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Ukrainian forces have since reported problems regarding access to satellite technology from Starlink and crucial intelligence.
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