Adnkronos (Adnkronos) –
Donald Trump predicts a rapid breakthrough in negotiations between Ukraine and Russia to end the war. Meanwhile, Moscow is calling Europe to the table. The US president, as is his wont, anticipates rapid developments in the Washington-mediated dialogue. "We will have trilateral talks with Ukraine and Russia very soon. I think both sides want to reach an agreement," Trump says, repeating a widely seen scenario.
Following Special Envoy Steve Witkoff's mission to Kiev and Moscow, the White House is promoting talks that could take place in Abu Dhabi in the coming weeks.
"I think something's about to happen," Trump continues, continuing to focus on economic relations with Vladimir Putin. Russia will supply diesel to the United States, which has frozen sanctions against Moscow.
New agreements on Alaskan gas and the Russian energy giant Lukoil could be on the horizon: "These agreements will be made sooner or later. But we won't allow an issue like this to hold the oil industry hostage," Trump says.
In Kiev, Volodymyr Zelensky is waiting for news. "We are ready for trilateral talks between technical groups, which must lead to a concrete result," but "I wouldn't want us to show up at a meeting between the three leaders after having lifted all sanctions against the Russian Federation." If that were the case, "we would have few cards in our hand," the Ukrainian president wrote in X.
"The sanctions were imposed because of aggression, not to have the opportunity to talk," he added, emphasizing that "I don't want us to find ourselves at a meeting with Putin without tools: without sanctions, without funds, without frozen assets." Explaining that the November meeting will be a technical trilateral meeting, Zelensky emphasized that "without leaders, the war cannot end completely," and therefore, in the meantime, "an energy ceasefire" is first and foremost necessary.
From the Kremlin, advisor Yuri Ushakov sends signals. "The next deadline is November 4th, our big holiday. Then we'll be ready to resume negotiations," he says, indirectly dampening Trump's enthusiasm: no breakthroughs on the horizon. "The Russia-US-Ukraine meeting planned for the near future will be preliminary. There shouldn't be great expectations," Ushakov cautions, effectively opening another chapter. Europe, he says, will have to play a role in the upcoming negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, since the United States has so far failed to convince Kiev to accept a peace agreement. "After Anchorage, it seemed like the US administration could dictate something and force Kiev to comply, but so far this hasn't worked," says Putin's advisor, referring to the summit between Trump and the Russian president held in Alaska in August 2025.
"It's not enough to just talk to Kiev, we need to talk to all of Europe, which fully supports Ukraine," adds Ushakov, who believes that "perhaps Europe's position in this context is of fundamental importance." Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, also chimes in, saying he would welcome the appointment of a European Union negotiator to help find a solution to the war in Ukraine, provided he is truly committed to peace. According to rumors, the role could be entrusted to Finnish President Alexander Stubb: "If there is a negotiator, it will be a good thing. If it is a negotiator who is genuinely committed to promoting a peaceful solution, it will be even better," he adds.
For a day, Putin remains on the sidelines of the war debate. The president limits himself to criticizing those in Europe who speculate that Russia is behind the recent street protests. "This highlights the weakness and inability of some European leaders to take responsibility for what is happening. The reason for the protests lies in Europe's own mistakes. The EU has not instilled its values in migrants, but has destroyed them at home. European countries are failing to address the migrant crisis."
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