Ukraine’s Zelenskyy hopes Abu Dhabi talks will open path to Putin meeting

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he hopes upcoming United States-mediated talks with Russia in Abu Dhabi will lead to a three-way meeting of leaders that includes Russian President Vladimir Putin. Speaking in Berlin on Tuesday alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Zelenskyy said the adviser-level talks, set for November 10 and 11 , were part of a broader diplomatic push to end the war. “We are counting on the fact that work in this format and our other diplomatic steps will open the way to a trilateral format at the level of leaders,” Zelenskyy told reporters. Asked about the Abu Dhabi talks, Merz said it was “important that Russia finally and seriously engages in negotiations about a ceasefire and a subsequent peace agreement”.