By Andrea Shalal and Olena Harmash
WASHINGTON, Oct 23 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday that peace negotiators from Ukraine, Russia and the United States had agreed to meet at a technical level in the first half of November in Abu Dhabi, adding that he hoped a meeting of the countries’ leaders would follow.
Zelenskiy said he spoke with US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff on Friday after their meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this week. He said any peace agreement would need strong security guarantees for Ukraine and funding for 10 years to maintain the Ukrainian army.
“The plan is to meet in the first half of November, and as early as possible, of course,” Zelenskiy told the Hudson Institute think tank via a video link. He said much would depend on Russia, noting that a similar meeting expected this month had not materialized.
Zelenskiy stressed the importance of continued diplomatic efforts to reach a ceasefire and end the war, now in its fifth year, adding that Europe should also be involved in the talks.
The Ukrainian president said it was critical for the technical discussions to be followed by a meeting of the countries’ leaders.
Ukraine’s military was still grappling with access to Starlink communications systems, Zelenskiy said, despite US assurances that speed restrictions had been removed.
“The speed limits on Starlink and Starshield are still there, and the speed has not been restored,” he said, contradicting a statement by US President Donald Trump that the services had been fully restored.
Ukraine was also waiting for a shipment of air defense interceptors that had been previously agreed, Zelenskiy said, complicating Ukrainian defensive efforts in the face of nearly daily massive attacks by Russian drones and missiles.
(Reporting by Andrea Shalal, writing by Olena Harmash; Editing by Aidan Lewis and Rod Nickel)
