Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday that Ukraine, the United States and Russia are expected to hold trilateral talks in November, in a bid to revive negotiations that have remained deadlocked.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump. (File Photo/AFP)“We are ready to talk. If it’s a territorial issue, it must be addressed at a leadership level.
Other issues fall within the remit of the technical groups. All this can therefore be discussed in November,” Zelensky said in a Ukrainian television interview, as quoted by AFP.Trilateral meeting expected to take place in UAEKremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed on Friday that officials were preparing for a trilateral meeting in the United Arab Emirates next month, AFP reported.The development follows a renewed push by the Trump administration to bring Kyiv and Moscow back to the negotiating table.
US envoy Steve Witkoff held discussions with Zelensky and European leaders in Oslo on Tuesday before travelling to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin the following day.Both Kyiv and Moscow have indicated their willingness to resume direct negotiations under Washington’s mediation, according to AFP.Trump open to meeting Putin, Xi ‘with or without’ ZelenskyLast week, US President Donald Trump said he was open to meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping to discuss the war in Ukraine.Speaking to reporters at the White House before departing for Kansas, Trump said he would do “anything he can” to end the conflict. However, he added that it was “time for somebody else to negotiate on behalf of Ukraine”.The remarks come amid growing tensions between Trump and Zelensky, with the US President accusing the Ukrainian leader of not wanting to end the war with Russia.Trump also criticised Zelensky’s handling of the conflict, saying Ukraine “should have had this war settled a long time ago”, Fox News reported.“If he would have listened to me, he would have made a much better deal a long time ago, and he’d have a million people living from his side,” Trump said.
He added, “Maybe it’s time for Zelensky to get somebody else to negotiate.”Putin proposed trilateral summit with Trump and XiAccording to a report by The Wall Street Journal, Putin proposed a trilateral summit with Trump and Xi to discuss the conflict in Ukraine.The proposal was part of Putin’s effort to capitalise on improving ties with the US President, the newspaper reported. The idea was floated during a phone call between Putin and Trump on October 9, the report said, citing a former Russian intelligence officer who had been briefed on the matter.The phone call also led to a deal for the US to purchase Russian diesel fuel and facilitate its sale on the global market.