Trump sees a ‘different shape’ Ukraine as Abu Dhabi talks loom
Ukraine could be left with different borders if a deal with Russia to end the war goes any further, Donald Trump said in a recent interview with CBS. His latest prediction of peace comes as negotiators prepare to tackle what would keep the country secure once the fighting stops.
The US president made the remarks in an interview with Ross Douthat broadcast by CBS on Sunday. The journalist had asked whether Trump expected the war to end with a free and independent Ukraine.
‘I think we’re going to have it done, and I think it’s going to happen, and they’re going to end up with a little bit different shape Ukraine,’ Trump said.
‘Look, this is a war that should have never happened. If I were president, this war would have never happened,’ the president added, repeating his usual claim that he could have prevented the invasion.
The reference to Ukraine’s ‘shape’ implied territorial changes, but Trump did not specify any proposed boundaries. Along with that question comes the issue of security guarantees. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has identified Ukraine’s post-war security and broader European arrangements as key issues in the negotiations.
Up close: Zelenskyy floats peace plan terms, signalling possible withdrawal from eastern Ukraine
The Abu Dhabi talks
Delegations from Ukraine, Russia and the United States are scheduled to meet in Abu Dhabi on 10–11 November for US-mediated talks on ending the war, the first such meeting since February, according to Reuters. Security guarantees are expected to feature prominently, with Washington seeking progress before winter.
According to RBC Ukraine, foreign intelligence chief Rustem Umerov will lead Ukraine’s delegation. It will include:
- presidential office head Kyrylo Budanov;
- his first deputy Serhiy Kyslytsya;
- parliamentary faction leader David Arakhamia,
- deputy military intelligence chief Vadym Skibitskyi,
- and an unnamed intelligence analyst.
Russian business daily Kommersant reported that Moscow will be sending:
- presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky;
- deputy foreign ministers Mikhail Galuzin and Sergei Ryabkov;
- military intelligence chief and deputy General Staff head Igor Kostyukov,
- and deputy head of the General Staff’s Main Operational Directorate, Yuri Zhigarlovsky.
Read more: Lavrov says Russia ready to offer ‘security guarantees’ to EU and NATO
US envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner are heading to Abu Dhabi, Rubio said. European representatives are also expected there for separate discussions, according to RBC-Ukraine. Their involvement brings countries that could help underpin a settlement into consultations over the security arrangements that would follow it.
