Volodymyr Zelensky says battlefield position is "in a normal state on the battlefield" before talks

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Berlin on Tuesday before planned talks between Ukrainian, U.S. and Russian negotiators in Abu Dhabi on Nov. 10-11, the first direct Kyiv-Moscow negotiations since February. Merz said Russia needed to show it was prepared to pursue a ceasefire and peace deal and that he had so far seen no evidence of that. The talks are expected to cover security assurances, a halt to attacks on energy infrastructure and a Black Sea truce to keep food exports moving. After Ukrainian officials said 33 people were killed in a Russian strike on a school serving as an aid hub, Zelensky said Kyiv was entering diplomacy with its battlefield position holding steady, though problems with aerial defenses remained acute; he stressed that security assurances were essential.