Ukraine's Budanov Is Cautiously Upbeat Ahead of US-Russia Trilateral Talks

Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine's Presidential Office, says he holds a feeling of restrained optimism heading into next week's trilateral negotiations — and that those talks could edge the two presidents closer to sitting down together. Ukrainian, Russian and American delegations meet in Abu Dhabi on Nov. 10 and 11, the first three-way session since February. The agenda, Budanov told CBS News on Friday, centers on postwar security guarantees for Ukraine and Russia.

The fact that everyone showed up ready to talk means something, he suggested. Contrasting this round with February's, Budanov said the situations differ from moment to moment, and that all parties now wanted the meeting — a sign there are prerequisites in place. He also made clear he doesn't see this as a one-off: these negotiations are not the last, he said.

Here's who's coming. Ukraine's delegation is led by top negotiator Rustem Umerov, with Budanov joining. Washington is expected to send U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. Moscow's team is headed by Vladimir Medinsky, a Putin aide who ran Russia's side in earlier rounds. Witkoff said in announcing the talks that the U.S. looks forward to building on progress made in Kyiv, Oslo and St. Petersburg toward a comprehensive, durable peace agreement delivering lasting security for generations.

The sit-down follows a rough stretch between Washington and Kyiv. In October, President Trump announced a deal allowing Russia to supply diesel to the United States for the first time since 2022. Around the same period, Elon Musk's SpaceX capped Ukraine's Starshield satellite network — disrupting Ukrainian drone operations and some air-defense systems — before restoring access weeks later.

Budanov didn't sugarcoat the Starshield episode. It's bad, and it shouldn't be like that, he said — but he noted the situation was ultimately resolved one way or another, which he said fuels optimism about the future. Despite the recent friction, he described himself as upbeat about Ukraine's relationship with the United States going into the Abu Dhabi meeting.

The diplomacy is unfolding against a punishing backdrop. Russia intensified strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure this week, hitting facilities across 10 regions, according to Ukraine's energy ministry, leaving hundreds of thousands of households without electricity and cutting water to much of Kyiv for more than 16 hours. Speaking from his office in the capital, Budanov said Russia is using the strikes to squeeze Kyiv politically — hoping to lay a foundation for social dissatisfaction and street protests. That won't happen, he said.