Ukraine working-level talks planned, but leaders' summit remains uncertain

Tatjana Ohm reports that representatives are due in Abu Dhabi on November 4, while Putin and Zelenskyy remain divided over when to meet.

Channel: WELT Nachrichtensender ·

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0:15The anchors report NATO discontent over Finnish and Norwegian leaders' telephone contacts with Putin.
1:17Ohm says Putin wants a completed peace agreement before a direct meeting with Zelenskyy.
2:20Zelenskyy favors earlier leader-level talks to resolve decisive issues, according to Ohm.
2:49Ohm reports that working-level talks involving the three countries are planned in Abu Dhabi from November 4.

Working-level talks involving representatives of the United States, Russia and Ukraine are expected to begin in Abu Dhabi on November 4, correspondent Tatjana Ohm reports. That is a different prospect from the imminent leaders' meeting President Donald Trump has suggested.

Speaking from Kyiv on Germany's WELT Nachrichtensender, Ohm says she sees little chance of a summit between Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the foreseeable future. Asked about a direct Ukrainian response to Trump's announcement, she says there has been none.

The obstacle she identifies is the order of negotiations. In her account, Putin wants a completed peace agreement before meeting Zelenskyy: a summit would be the final step, rather than the starting point. Zelenskyy wants direct talks between leaders earlier, so they can resolve the decisive outstanding issues themselves.

Ohm also argues that Trump's statements should be considered against the approaching US midterm elections on November 3. That is her political assessment, not an announced condition for negotiations.

The studio introduction describes earlier calls between Putin, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, reporting that those contacts caused discontent within NATO. The segment does not establish that the calls changed Moscow's conditions. Ohm's closing distinction remains between the working-level discussions she says are planned and a leaders' summit she does not expect soon.