Russia plans to hold Russia-U.S.-Ukraine trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, in November, with the United States playing a mediating role, but the specific date is still being coordinated, Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov said on Friday in a media interview.
Ushakov said Russia and the United States have begun consultations on the date for the talks. He also described the upcoming talks as of "decisive significance" for resolving the Ukraine issue.
On Wednesday, Ushakov said that European nations would not be invited to the peace talks, noting that "no one intends to invite them to the negotiating table."
Also on Wednesday, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia would announce the meeting date once it had been set.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday that Ukraine was waiting for the United States to finalize the date and hoped the meeting could be held before Nov. 10.
However, Peskov said on Friday that Russia had no intention to suspend its military operations in any way ahead of the talks, and that preparations for the talks did not mean Russia had committed to restricting military operations.
Russia, U.S. begin coordinating date for Russia-US-Ukraine talks: Kremlin aide
