Kremlin Says Trilateral Ukraine Talks Planned for Abu Dhabi in First Half of November, as Russian Strikes Cut Power to 500,000

Since Vladimir Putin agreed "in principle" to restart U.S.-brokered talks after Nov. 10, the Kremlin has put a venue and a window on those negotiations. Peskov told reporters today, Oct. 23, that the next round is "planned for the first half of November in Abu Dhabi" and "will take place in a trilateral format."

No exact date has been announced.

Power cut to more than 500,000

The Russian strikes did not pause for the announcement. Ukraine's Energy Ministry said attacks on energy facilities in the Zhytomyr, Volyn, Mykolaiv, Poltava, Khmelnytskyi and Rivne regions knocked out electricity for more than 500,000 people. The ministry said emergency repairs have begun where security allows.

DTEK, one of Ukraine's largest private energy companies, said an unspecified thermal power plant stopped generating after Russian shelling. DTEK said in a Telegram post that its thermal plants have been attacked more than 230 times since the full-scale invasion began in 2022.

Russia's Defense Ministry said its air defenses destroyed 443 Ukrainian drones overnight. The day before, the ministry said air defenses downed 808.

Ukrainians are bracing for winter. Ukraine says Russia has been stockpiling ballistic missiles for an annual campaign Ukrainians call "weaponizing winter." Zelenskyy said that since Oct. 11, Russia has launched 170 strikes on Ukraine's critical energy facilities.

The energy ceasefire that wasn't

President Trump announced an "energy ceasefire" on Oct. 11. It has failed to yield any meaningful outcome. Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine refrained from attacking Russian energy targets for three days, then resumed, citing continued Russian attacks on its infrastructure.

Zelenskyy told CNN late Thursday that he is ready for a ceasefire, but that Ukraine needs strong security guarantees. After the latest large-scale barrage he said Russia "has not changed the way it wages this war, and it is taking no steps that would signal a genuine desire to end it."

Zelenskyy has also said that only a meeting of leaders can end the deadlock.

What Putin says he wants

In a Russian state television interview aired Thursday, Putin said the goal of the talks is security for Ukraine and Russia "after reaching peace agreements, in their final form, not as a result of a temporary ceasefire for some short period of time." He said Witkoff stressed that discussions must cover "the architecture of European security as a whole," and that he agrees.

On territory, Putin was blunt. Of eastern Ukraine's Donbas he said: "this is not their territory. It's the territory of historical Russia." Russia demands Ukraine cede all of Donbas. Kyiv rejects any deal that gives up land it holds. Asked what happens if Ukraine does not agree, Putin said: "Well, then it will be otherwise," and promised Russia would achieve all of its "objectives."

Peskov said Thursday that Putin presented no Russian peace proposal to Witkoff and has not yet considered the composition of a potential Russian delegation.

Skeptics on Russia's motives

The Institute for the Study of War argues the Kremlin's interest in talks is not about ending the war but about securing economic concessions from Washington so Russia can keep funding it. The institute cites Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, who claimed Witkoff and Putin agreed to expand Russian-U.S. economic cooperation. It also cites a Kremlin domestic policy official who told the Russian opposition outlet Verstka that the Kremlin does not expect negotiations to resolve the war but hopes to extract economic concessions that could boost its budget.

State Duma Defense Committee First Deputy Chairperson Alexei Zhuravlyov said Russia should not rely on diplomacy with the U.S. and should press Zelenskyy on the battlefield and force Ukraine to capitulate.

Washington's mixed signals

Trump has criticized Ukraine's targeting of Russian energy infrastructure. He has also eased sanctions on Moscow and made a deal to buy 300,000 tonnes of Russian diesel. Moscow announced today that the first shipment is on its way to New York.

European leaders have said the diesel deal makes peace harder by giving Russia "hope." Ukrainian forces have reported problems with access to Starlink satellite technology and crucial intelligence.

The White House is working under pressure at home. The war on Iran has pushed up energy prices and dented Trump's political support ahead of the midterms. Putin's "after Nov. 10" timing falls a week after the U.S. midterm election.

Trilateral talks held in the UAE and Switzerland in January and February were described as technical and produced little beyond prisoner exchanges. The talks lapsed as the Trump administration focused on its war on Iran.

Zelenskyy, who met Witkoff in Norway on Tuesday, said before the latest barrage: "We'll see what happens this time." The open question for the Abu Dhabi round is whether Russia brings anything beyond its existing demand for Donbas, and whether it names a delegation.