US President Donald Trump has said a peace deal to end Russia's war on Ukraine would leave the country 'a little bit different shape', in a television interview broadcast on Sunday, November 8 — two days before American, Russian and Ukrainian delegations are due to meet in Abu Dhabi for trilateral talks. Trump made the remark on CBS's 60 Minutes programme, in an interview recorded at the White House on Friday with correspondent Ross Douthat, his first sit-down interview since his Republican Party's heavy losses in last Tuesday's midterm elections.

Source: RFE/RL with Reuters reporting

'I think we're gonna have it [a peace deal] done, and I think it's gonna happen, and they're gonna end up with a little bit different shape Ukraine,' Trump said, without elaborating on which territory he meant or how the country's borders might change. He said he believed Washington was 'very close to making a deal'.

Source: RFE/RL with Reuters reporting

Asked what the biggest obstacle to peace was, Trump named the personal hostility between the two wartime leaders. 'It was the hatred between Zelenskyy and Putin,' he said, according to the published transcript. 'I believe that that war is going to end, and it's gonna end soon. And the only reason it's gonna end is because of me.' He declined to say whether he trusted Russian President Vladimir Putin or Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy more, saying he gets along with both.

Source: CBS 60 Minutes transcript

Trump's latest remarks build on what he said on November 5, after meeting Putin's envoy Kirill Dmitriev, when he called a Ukraine deal 'very close' and said it 'might involve all of Europe' — a suggestion European officials have pushed back against. Read: Trump says Ukraine deal is 'very close' after Dmitriev meeting

Ukraine has insisted it will not permanently cede territory to Russia in any peace deal, although Kyiv has indicated it could accept a ceasefire that leaves Russian troops temporarily in the Ukrainian lands they now occupy. 'Of course, Russia insists that we give up territory. We certainly do not want to give anything up. That is what we are fighting for,' Zelenskyy has said. He has also expressed doubts about Trump's proposals for a new European security order, telling CNN on November 6: 'It's not simple, and it can be dangerous, for us.'

Source: RFE/RL with Reuters reporting

Abu Dhabi, November 10–11: who is going

The Abu Dhabi gathering on November 10–11 will be the first trilateral meeting of the three delegations since February, according to 60 Minutes. Russia has already named its delegation, led by Vladimir Medinsky. US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff are travelling to the United Arab Emirates, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio — who is also expected in Abu Dhabi — said some progress had been made on the 'security infrastructure' Ukraine and Europe could have after the war. 'I think that's what the president's alluding to — is that there's been some advances made in what that architecture could look like post-conflict,' Rubio said, adding that 'nothing's been finalized yet, and maybe some progress can be made in Abu Dhabi.'

Source: RFE/RL with Reuters reporting

Europe, which fears being cut out of decisions about the continent's own security, will also be in the room: French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on November 8 that 'the Europeans will be represented, and France will be in Abu Dhabi' — even though the Kremlin has said Europeans cannot take part. Read: Barrot says Europeans will join Abu Dhabi Ukraine talks

The diplomacy is moving against a backdrop of continued fighting. Ukrainian authorities said Russian attacks continued late on November 8 and into the morning of November 9: in Kremenchuk, in the Poltava region, drone attacks injured at least four people, damaged a residential building and a hotel, and rescuers pulled 15 people from damaged structures, regional administrator Vitali Dyakivnych said; in the Odesa region, military administrator Oleh Kiper said drones struck electricity distribution centres, causing further power cuts in the north of the region. Those battlefield claims come from Ukrainian officials and have not been independently verified.

Source: RFE/RL with Reuters reporting