Russia and Ukraine said on Friday that new trilateral peace talks, including the US, are scheduled for the first half of November.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said a meeting is scheduled to be held in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.
"The negotiations are scheduled for the first half of November in Abu Dhabi," Peskov told reporters at a press briefing, noting they will focus on ensuring the security of Russia and Ukraine after a peace is achieved between the two countries.
Peskov described the topic as a key component for reaching a peaceful settlement, arguing that a comprehensive solution is "impossible" without it.
Commenting on whether Moscow rules out the possibility of the talks becoming quadrilateral through the participation of Europe, Peskov said "nothing can be ruled out."
"However, the negotiations we are discussing-scheduled for the first half of November in Abu Dhabi-will take place in a trilateral format," Peskov said, adding the initial phase of these discussions will follow a trilateral format, though it is clear that discussing the architecture of European security without other participants "will not be possible."
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he spoke by phone with US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner and agreed to hold trilateral talks at the team level in the first half of November.
"We are ready to meet any day-even tomorrow," Zelensky said in an address at the Hudson Institute, adding that a meeting planned for October did not take place because Russia "came up with another reason not to meet."
He called for moving from technical-level negotiations to a meeting of leaders, saying key issues could only be resolved at that level.
Zelensky said restrictions on Starlink and Starshield remained in place and deliveries of interceptors to defend against Russian ballistic missiles were delayed, calling the situation a "real problem."
Despite growing challenges, he said Ukraine's front line was holding and urged stronger ties with the US and other partners to help bring peace closer.
"I really want our relations-between Ukraine and America, and with all our other partners-to be strong, truly friendly, and without misunderstandings," he said. "Because without a strong America that cares about what happens in the world, the world would definitely be a worse place."
The remarks come a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted Witkoff at St. Petersburg's Constantine Palace. Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov told reporters that Putin conveyed Moscow's readiness "in principle" to resume trilateral peace negotiations on Ukraine in November.
"Our president informed Steve Witkoff that we are, in principle, prepared to resume the aforementioned trilateral negotiations around the 10th of November," Ushakov said following the talks, adding that Moscow's readiness for trilateral negotiations particularly concerned the issue of building a post-war "security system" for Russia and Ukraine.
Witkoff said he and Kushner held "constructive" discussions with Russian, Ukrainian and European leaders in St. Petersburg, and Oslo, with the latter meeting taking place Tuesday. He added that the discussions would continue with trilateral talks "at the technical level."
Russia and Ukraine last held US-mediated peace negotiations earlier this year, with three rounds of talks on Jan. 23-24, Feb. 4-5, and Feb. 17-18. The first two were held in Abu Dhabi, while the third took place in Geneva.
