Moscow, Oct. 23 (SANA) Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced Friday that talks on settling the Ukraine crisis will be held in a trilateral format bringing together Russia, the United States and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi during the first half of November, according to Sputnik.
Peskov said Russian President Vladimir Putin had defined the topic of the talks as security issues for Russia and Ukraine, describing discussion of these issues as an essential element for reaching a peaceful settlement.
Peskov noted that the architecture of European security cannot be discussed without the European parties, indicating that the dialogue will begin in a trilateral format and that it is difficult to predict the course of upcoming discussions or which parties will participate.
Security guarantees the focus
According to Anadolu Agency, Peskov said the talks are scheduled for the first half of November in Abu Dhabi and will focus on ensuring the security of Russia and Ukraine after peace is achieved, describing the topic as a key component for a peaceful settlement. He said “nothing can be ruled out a priori” regarding possible European participation, but confirmed the initial phase will follow a trilateral format.
The announcement follows Putin’s nearly three-hour meeting with US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff in St. Petersburg on Wednesday, after which Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov said Moscow was “in principle” ready to resume trilateral negotiations around Nov. 10.
First Russian diesel tanker en route to US
Separately, Peskov announced that the first tanker carrying Russian diesel agreed under the deal signed by Presidents Putin and Trump is en route to buyers, with shipments set to continue regularly.
According to Xinhua, the Malta-flagged tanker Agioi Fanendes, loaded with about 40,000 metric tons of ultra-low sulphur diesel, departed from Russia’s Baltic port of Primorsk and is heading for New York, according to vessel-tracking data cited by RIA Novosti. It is expected to arrive on Nov. 7.
Trump announced on Oct. 9 that Russia would immediately export 300,000 metric tons of diesel to the US and global markets, followed by 500,000 tons in November and 1 million tons thereafter.
On Wednesday, Putin discussed with Witkoff at the Constantine Palace in St. Petersburg the political settlement of the Russia-Ukraine war, the Iranian file, and prospects for resuming economic cooperation between Moscow and Washington, expressing appreciation for Trump’s interest in reaching a settlement in Ukraine.
Kh.A / H.H
