Kremlin says Europe will join Ukraine talks eventually, but Abu Dhabi round stays trilateral

Europe's seat at the talks

Russia now accepts that European states will eventually take part in negotiations over Ukraine, though the details have not been worked out. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a Russian radio station, as reported by Europa Press, that European participation will be needed at some point but has not yet been discussed in detail. According to TASS, he linked any growth in contacts with Europe to whether reason prevails there. A Financial Times report had claimed that the United States would consider the United Kingdom, Germany and France as European negotiators. European governments argue that the talks bear directly on the continent's security and should have a place at the table, while Kyiv says excluding the EU and the United Kingdom undermines the legitimacy of the security guarantees that may follow.

Trilateral format and timing

Peskov reaffirmed that talks planned for the coming days in Abu Dhabi will be trilateral, bringing together Russia, Ukraine and the United States. On Thursday, 29 October, Volodymyr Zelensky said he wants Washington to announce the date of the next meeting after the US midterm elections on Tuesday, 3 November. Russia's demands include the withdrawal of NATO forces from neighbouring countries, which Moscow sees as a threat, and a claim to part of Ukrainian territory. Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, and the source notes that it had already annexed Crimea in 2014. The conflict is described as the deadliest in Europe since the Second World War, though the exact number of military and civilian victims is unknown.

Strikes on the border and in Moscow

Russian authorities accused Ukrainian forces of spreading explosive devices by drone near three schools and 17 nurseries in Bezhitski district, Bryansk region, close to the border. Governor Yegor Kovalchuk said several streets were closed for safety, and residents were told to stay at home while demining operations continue. Rescuers had to evacuate a woman who was driving a car surrounded by explosive devices. Russia's border regions of Kursk, Bryansk and especially Belgorod are hit almost daily by short-range drones, missiles and artillery, according to the Russian account. Putin ordered the army to create a 'security zone' in the Ukrainian regions of Sumy and Kharkiv. A nighttime attack with hundreds of Ukrainian drones forced temporary suspension of flights at Moscow's main airports, according to The Moscow Times, and the chair of the city council confirmed that air defences downed dozens of drones heading for the city. Peskov said the Russian military operation must continue until these threats are fully neutralized. On 29 October, a jet-powered attack drone struck the platform of Dnipro's railway station during the day, where passengers were gathered. Ukrainska Pravda reported at least 14 killed and 14 civilians wounded, one of them a child in serious condition. The state railway company said the strike came at a time of heavy passenger traffic, and Ukrainian authorities and foreign diplomats condemned it.

Economy and other fronts

The National Bank of Ukraine now expects GDP to shrink 0.4% in 2026, against an earlier forecast of 1.8% growth, citing attacks on the energy grid and industrial infrastructure, according to The New Voice of Ukraine. Recovery will depend on how fast energy reconstruction proceeds and how quickly external financial aid arrives. The Ukrainian Naval Command said two Su-34 fighter-bombers it destroyed in a Neptune missile strike on an air base near Oktyabrsky belonged to the 11th Mixed Aviation Regiment of the Russian Federation. In Moscow, the State Duma approved the federal budget for 2027 to 2029 in first reading with no votes against, according to TASS. The Finance Ministry said changes to the tax regime for oil companies this year are unnecessary and inappropriate.

Earlier forecast1.8%

Revised forecast-0.4%

Earlier forecast

1.8 %

Revised forecast

-0.4 %

Data from the article text