The timing of the next round of three-way negotiations on a settlement of the Ukraine conflict is tied to developments in the Middle East, according to Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov. His remarks, reported by Russian news agencies on Wednesday, raised doubts about whether the talks can go ahead next month as first proposed.
Ushakov said Moscow had not yet suggested a specific date. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday that he hoped a meeting would be held in Abu Dhabi between November 6 and November 10.
Speaking to journalists, Ushakov said the date would also hinge on the battlefield and the general situation. He pointed to the regional fallout from the US-Israeli war on Iran. "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," he said.
The Kremlin aide also addressed the question of European involvement. The leaders of Britain, Germany and France said last weekend that Europe would have a role in US-mediated talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelensky aimed at securing a ceasefire. Ushakov dismissed the idea for the next round. "There is absolutely no talk about this, nothing being considered," he was quoted as saying.
According to Ushakov, what has been agreed is a resumption of three-sided consultations involving representatives of Russia, Ukraine and the United States.
The United States has taken the lead in efforts to advance negotiations aimed at ending the conflict, which is now 4-1/2 years old. That approach has left European countries, which are Ukraine's closest allies and biggest military backers, largely on the sidelines.
Ushakov had said at the weekend that Europe should be included in discussions because its position could be crucial. In earlier comments on Wednesday, he said the possible participation of European countries was not discussed during Putin's phone call on Tuesday with Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere.
