Russian President Vladimir Putin has not said whether he would speak with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, as Kyiv prepares for talks with Russia and the United States in Abu Dhabi by Nov. 10.
On Oct. 30, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalist Alexander Yunashev that Putin would take calls from French President Emmanuel Macron or German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and was open to dialogue more broadly. Asked about Zelensky, Peskov replied, “No one has called yet,” Interfax reported.
The Kyiv Independent reported that unnamed Ukrainian officials suspect Moscow may use a phone conversation to sidestep an in-person meeting. One senior official told the outlet Moscow had previously tried phone contact. A second doubted that a call without U.S. involvement could settle key issues and security guarantees.
Zelensky said in Oct. 27 remarks, as reported by the Kyiv Independent and LB.ua, that territorial questions should be discussed by leaders of the countries at war.
Ukraine’s presidential office said preparations were underway for a three-country meeting in Abu Dhabi, with Nov. 10 as Kyiv’s target. The Associated Press reported that the parties had not fixed a date by Oct. 28; Zelensky said he hoped to set one for Nov. 6-10, after the U.S. midterm election. The AP said technical discussions could address a pause in attacks on energy infrastructure and commercial sea traffic, prisoner exchanges and whether to hold a leaders’ meeting.
On Oct. 27, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre spoke with Putin after consulting Ukraine, Norway’s government said. The call covered the war and diplomatic efforts, and the government connected it to the planned Abu Dhabi talks. Putin and Zelensky met at a Normandy-format summit in Paris on Dec. 9, 2019, according to the French presidency; the Kyiv Independent identifies it as their most recent in-person meeting.
