Kremlin Adviser Ties Ukraine Talks Timing to Middle East Conflict

Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov said the timing of the next round of trilateral talks on settling the Ukraine war is linked to the conflict in the Middle East, raising doubts about whether talks will occur next month as initially proposed. Ushakov stated Moscow has not yet proposed a specific date for the talks, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hopes to hold in Abu Dhabi between November 6 and 10. Referring to the regional fallout of the US-Israeli war on Iran, Ushakov said the situation in the Middle East "simply does not allow us to hold it in the near future." Ushakov also said there have been no discussions about European negotiators participating in the next round, despite leaders from Britain, Germany, and France recently stating Europe would play a role in the US-mediated talks between Putin and Zelensky on a ceasefire.