Zelensky's Brussels Meeting With US, EU and NATO Unconfirmed as Kyiv Cites Change in US Plans

Since US envoy Steve Witkoff's talks with Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg and a round of consultations in Oslo last week, Kyiv has been trying to line up the next step in the diplomacy. Today, Oct. 26, that step came apart in public.

Presidential communications adviser Dmytro Lytvyn told reporters that Kyiv is "not confirming it yet because of a change in plans by the American side." He did not say what the change was.

What Zelensky announced

On Sunday, Oct. 25, Zelensky told Ukrainian media that Washington wanted more than a debrief. "We had a briefing from the Americans, and now they want not just a briefing, but to discuss security, guarantees, the EU and its involvement more broadly," he said.

He said the meeting would bring together the Americans, Ukraine and the EU at presidential level, plus NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. He put the dates at Oct. 27 or 28.

The Brussels meeting was meant to follow the Oslo talks. Zelensky met Witkoff there, with Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre attending. Security advisers to the leaders of Britain, France and Italy took part, as did Björn Seibert, chief of staff to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, according to Zelensky.

Confusion on the European side

The European Commission offered nothing firm. "The Commission continues to participate in talks and efforts with allies and partners to achieve a just and lasting peace for Ukraine," a spokesperson said. "At this stage, we have no further information to share."

A NATO official said the alliance would comment if it received any information.

The Kyiv Independent reported that US envoys Witkoff and Jared Kushner were expected to brief European officials on the Putin meeting. It also reported that a senior Ukrainian official told it late Oct. 25 that the trip had been called off. By Monday morning, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, citing unnamed sources on Zelensky's team, reported he was going after all.

A senior EU official told the Kyiv Independent they had no idea Zelensky was coming. "Now we are in fact trying to assess if they are surprise visiting," the official said.

Kyiv's account is that the plan was a live one and the Americans changed it. The Kyiv Independent's reporting suggests the meeting was never formally confirmed, so European officials were left guessing. Lytvyn's statement is the only on-record explanation so far. Washington has not said what changed.

The November track

The Brussels question sits alongside a firmer plan. Zelensky said Ukraine, Russia and the US have agreed to hold trilateral talks next month, with the first half of November the target.

Abu Dhabi has been mentioned as a venue. Sky News, citing a US official, reported on Oct. 24 that Switzerland is also possible. Neither date nor location is confirmed.

Zelensky also renewed his push for a direct meeting with Putin to discuss what he called "territorial issues." Russia has not agreed to one.

He set two conditions for the lead-up. He said he would not want sanctions on Russia lifted before a trilateral meeting. He also said European Patriot missile deliveries that have already been approved must be unblocked.

Witkoff handed Putin a document outlining the American side's proposals for ending the war. Its contents have not been made public.

What is still open

The immediate question is whether any Brussels meeting happens this week in a different form. The Americans' revised plans are undisclosed, and Kyiv has not said whether the trip is postponed or scrapped.

The larger question is what the US is prepared to put on the table on security guarantees and EU involvement before delegations sit down with the Russians in November. Zelensky has said Washington itself asked to widen the discussion beyond a briefing.