MOSCOW, Oct 28 (Reuters) – Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov said on Wednesday that the timing of the next round of three-way talks on a settlement of the Ukraine conflict may be linked to developments in the Middle East, raising doubts about whether the talks will take place next month as initially proposed.
Ushakov, cited by Russian news agencies, said Moscow had not yet proposed a specific date for the talks. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he hoped that a meeting could take place in Abu Dhabi between November 6 and November 10.
“The timetable will also depend on the situation on the battlefield and the situation more broadly,” Ushakov told journalists, referring to the regional fallout from the US-Israeli war on Iran. “That is my assumption.”
Ushakov also said that no discussion had taken place about including European negotiators in the next round of talks. The leaders of Britain, Germany and France said last weekend that Europe would play a role in the US-mediated talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelenskiy on securing a ceasefire.
“There is absolutely no talk about this, and nothing is being considered,” Ushakov was quoted as saying. “What there is now is an agreement on resuming three-sided consultations with representatives of Russia, Ukraine and the United States.”
The United States has led efforts to move forward with talks on finding a solution to the 4.5-year-old Ukraine conflict, leaving European countries – Ukraine’s closest allies and biggest military backers – largely on the sidelines.
Ushakov said at the weekend that Europe should be included in discussions, adding that its position could be crucial.
In comments earlier on Wednesday, Ushakov said that the possible participation of European countries in the negotiations was not discussed during Putin’s phone conversation on Tuesday with Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere.
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