Kremlin aide: Middle East war delays Ukraine peace talks
Yuri Ushakov stated that regional instability prevents the next round of trilateral negotiations from occurring in early November as previously hoped by Kyiv.
By Sophie Zhang ·
4-1/2 years into the Ukraine conflict, the next scheduled round of peace talks may not happen next month. Yuri Ushakov, the Kremlin foreign policy aide, told Russian news agencies on Wednesday that the timing of the upcoming negotiations is now tied directly to the state of the Middle East.
Ushakov noted that Moscow has not yet proposed a specific date for the meeting. He cited the regional fallout from the US-Israeli war on Iran as a primary obstacle to holding discussions in the near future. "It just doesn't allow us to hold it in the near future. That's my assumption," Ushakov told journalists.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had expressed hope for a meeting in Abu Dhabi between November 6 and November 10. The Ukrainian leader's timeline for the talks now appears uncertain due to the shifting dynamics in the Middle East.
European leaders have also faced a cooling from the Kremlin regarding their role in the process. The leaders of Britain, Germany, and France announced last weekend that Europe would participate in the US-mediated talks between Vladimir Putin and Zelensky. Ushakov contradicted this expectation, stating that no such discussion had taken place.
"There is absolutely no talk about this, nothing being considered," Ushakov said. He emphasized that the current agreement remains strictly for three-sided consultations involving representatives from Russia, Ukraine, and the United States.
The US has led the diplomatic push to end the war, leaving European nations and Ukraine's largest military backers largely on the sidelines. Ushakov mentioned that the possible participation of European countries was not part of Tuesday's phone conversation between Putin and Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere.
Ushakov previously suggested at the weekend that Europe should be included in discussions because its position could be crucial. However, his Wednesday remarks indicated that the immediate focus remains on the tripartite framework, with the Middle East situation acting as a gatekeeper for the next steps.
Source: The Jerusalem Post
