Kremlin aide delays Ukraine talks citing Middle East instability

Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov stated that the Middle East conflict determines when the next round of Ukraine peace talks will occur.

Speaking to Russian news agencies on Wednesday, Ushakov cast doubt on the initial proposal to hold the meetings next month. He noted that Moscow has not yet set a specific date for the session.

The aide attributed the timing issue to the current geopolitical climate. "It will also depend on the situation on the battlefield and the situation in general," Ushakov told journalists. "You can see the situation now in the Middle East. It just doesn't allow us to hold it in the near future. That's my assumption." The remarks referenced the regional consequences of the US-Israeli war on Iran.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed a different view on the schedule earlier in the day. He said he hoped the meeting would take place in Abu Dhabi between November 6 and November 10.

Ushakov also clarified the format of the negotiations. He said there had been no discussion of including European negotiators in the next round. Leaders of Britain, Germany, and France announced last weekend that Europe would play a role in US-mediated talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelensky to secure a ceasefire.

"There is absolutely no talk about this, nothing 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 currently leads the effort to resolve the 4-1/2-year-old conflict, leaving European nations largely on the sidelines. Ushakov indicated at the weekend that Europe should be included because its position matters. However, he said the possible participation of European countries was not discussed during Putin's Tuesday phone calls with Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere.