Russia, US, Ukraine signal plans for trilateral talks in November

US President Donald Trump said Sunday that trilateral talks involving the United States, Russia and Ukraine will take place "very soon," signaling renewed diplomatic efforts to address the conflict, while Moscow and Kyiv have outlined their positions on the proposed negotiations.

Trump did not provide a specific date for the meeting, but said he believed both Russia and Ukraine were interested in reaching an agreement.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy subsequently confirmed that the three countries were planning technical-level working talks in November. The venue remains under discussion, with Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, other locations in the Middle East and European cities among the options.

Zelenskyy said the working-level discussions were meant to pave the way for a subsequent higher-level meeting, including talks among the three countries' leaders. Initial discussions are expected to focus on a ceasefire involving energy infrastructure and areas related to the Black Sea.

Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushako said Sunday that Moscow was prepared to resume trilateral negotiations after November 4. He cautioned, however, that the talks would constitute an initial contact and that expectations should not be too high, adding that further efforts would be needed to reach a peace agreement.

Ushakov also said dialogue with European countries would be necessary to resolve the Ukraine conflict.

While expressing readiness to engage in further talks, Zelenskyy stressed that Ukraine must determine its own security arrangements and that Kyiv would not accept conditions unilaterally imposed by Russia.

In a Sunday interview, he said limiting the size and capabilities of Ukraine's armed forces and requiring the country to remain neutral were not on Kyiv's negotiating agenda.

Territorial issues, he added, should be discussed exclusively at the leaders' level. Zelenskyy said Washington had repeatedly raised the idea of a "territorial exchange" and proposed other possible approaches, but Ukraine would not accept an arrangement involving the exchange of territory for other concessions.

He said technical working groups could address other issues, while territorial questions should be reserved for direct negotiations among the leaders. These topics could form part of the discussions planned for November.

Zelenskyy also opposed lifting all sanctions against Russia before a meeting among the US, Russian and Ukrainian leaders. He said sanctions relief should follow an appropriate process and sequence if the goal was to end the conflict.

Kyiv had communicated its position to US representatives, he said, stressing that Ukraine should not give up important negotiating leverage, including sanctions, related funds and frozen assets, before a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Alongside the diplomatic preparations, Zelenskyy said a temporary ceasefire in the Russian-controlled southern Ukrainian city of Oleshky had been proposed by the United States starting on Tuesday to facilitate humanitarian operations.

He said the pause in fighting would last several days because humanitarian assistance and civilian evacuations could not be completed in a single day.

Under the proposed arrangement, personnel from the United States, Ukraine and Russia would participate in the humanitarian effort. Russia would clear landmines from roads, while Ukraine would verify the clearance work and take part in subsequent humanitarian operations. Zelenskyy said Ukrainian authorities had coordinated the preparations with relevant security agencies and the military.

However, Kyiv's military needs remain a point of concern in its dealings with Washington.

Zelenskyy said three issues had been raised during US-Ukraine talks in Oslo: shortages of air defense systems, restrictions affecting Starlink and Starshield services, and limits on US intelligence sharing with Ukraine. He said the latter two issues had been resolved, but air defense supplies remained unresolved.

Although deliveries of US Patriot air defense missiles had made some progress, Zelenskyy said the pace was too slow to meet Ukraine's urgent needs. Commitments alone were insufficient, he argued, if deliveries were delayed by one or two months.