US proposes trilateral meeting with Ukraine, Russia in UAE, Zelensky says

The meeting was aimed at discussing efforts to end the 4½-year war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

KYIV - The United States has proposed that the United Arab Emirates host a trilateral meeting with Ukraine and Russia to discuss efforts to end their 4½-year war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sept 25.

“The American side has proposed... meeting at a technical level in a three-way format,” Zelensky told reporters in a briefing via WhatsApp.

“We are awaiting a proposal from the United States regarding the date, and the United States has suggested the Emirates as a possible location.”

Zelensky held talks this week with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, where they discussed ways to bring an end to the war, sparked by Russia’s February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

After his talks with Trump, Zelensky said, Ukrainian negotiators their US counterparts to discuss specific details.

“We will inform and discuss these details with the European side, the Americans will talk to the Russians, and we will return in 10 days with either a new perspective or a result,” Zelensky said.

The Kremlin said on Sept 25 that a trilateral meeting with Ukraine and the US could happen soon.

The Ukrainian leader said he had asked Trump to raise the Ukraine war during his talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is on a state visit to the US.

Zelensky said he was still awaiting feedback from the US team, particularly regarding efforts to de-escalate the conflict ahead of winter.

He warned European partners, meanwhile, that Russia would continue its hybrid attacks against them, and said that Ukraine had offered its assistance to them.

The Kremlin has denied being behind acts of sabotage in European countries in recent months. REUTERS