Ukraine, the United States and Russia are preparing to hold trilateral working-level talks within a week as diplomatic efforts to end the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war gather momentum, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Wednesday.
The announcement followed a nearly 90-minute conversation between Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, during which the three sides discussed preparations for the next round of diplomatic engagement.
In a post on X, Zelenskyy said the proposed meeting would bring representatives of Ukraine, the United States and Russia together at the working level to advance negotiations aimed at ending the conflict.
He said Ukraine was ready to take the necessary steps towards peace and had already conveyed its proposals to the American side.
Highlighting parallel diplomatic efforts, Zelenskyy referred to a meeting in Brussels involving representatives from Ukraine, the United States, the European Union, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, NATO, the World Bank and the global business community.
The discussions focused on Ukraine’s post-war recovery, while another meeting was scheduled in Brussels on Friday to deliberate on security guarantees for the country.
Zelenskyy stressed that negotiations must progress rapidly to bring the conflict to an end, adding that any post-war security arrangements must provide firm guarantees for Ukraine.
Air defence also remained a key priority in discussions with Washington. The Ukrainian President said Kyiv needed additional interceptors for the Patriot missile defence systems to protect civilians and critical infrastructure from Russian attacks.
He also emphasised the importance of continuing bilateral engagement with the United States, particularly under the proposed Drone Deal framework, and thanked Washington for its support for Ukraine’s independence and diplomatic efforts.
The latest diplomatic engagement comes amid continued Russian attacks on Ukrainian territory and renewed efforts by the Trump administration to facilitate negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv.
Earlier, on November 3, Zelenskyy said at least 29 people were killed and dozens injured in a large-scale overnight Russian attack targeting critical infrastructure across Ukraine.
According to the Ukrainian President, Russian forces launched 289 attack drones, 17 ballistic missiles and 59 cruise missiles, primarily targeting energy infrastructure, including power generation facilities and substations.
The attacks affected several regions, including Odesa, Cherkasy, Zhytomyr, Vinnytsia, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Chernivtsi, Chernihiv and Rivne, triggering emergency power outages.
Meanwhile, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff had earlier announced that Washington would facilitate working-level negotiations between Ukraine and Russia in Abu Dhabi on November 10–11. The proposed discussions are expected to focus on post-war security arrangements, de-escalation, humanitarian issues and steps towards a possible peace agreement.
-ANI
