A New US Peace Push: Russia And Ukraine To Resume Talks In Abu Dhabi

Russia, Ukraine and the United States will hold another round of trilateral negotiations on ending the Russia-Ukraine war in Abu Dhabi on November 10–11, the Kremlin confirmed on Tuesday, with Russian President Vladimir Putin's aide Vladimir Medinsky set to lead Moscow's delegation.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed the dates during a media briefing, saying the Russian delegation would travel to the UAE to participate in the negotiations. He also reaffirmed that Medinsky would remain Moscow's chief negotiator in the trilateral process.

Peskov said most members of the Russian delegation regularly brief Putin on developments and receive instructions from him. However, he added that no specific arrangements had yet been made for the Russian president to speak with the delegation before its departure.

The confirmation follows an announcement by US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff on Monday that Washington would bring together Russian and Ukrainian delegations for working-level negotiations in Abu Dhabi.

What Will The Talks Cover?

Witkoff said the discussions would focus on post-war security arrangements, de-escalation, humanitarian measures and further steps towards ending the war.

Witkoff and Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump's son-in-law, are expected to represent Washington, according to a senior US official cited by Reuters. The US has also planned preparatory meetings in Brussels with representatives from France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the European Union and NATO to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine, Europe's future security framework and economic support for Ukraine's reconstruction.

The latest round follows a meeting between Putin and Witkoff in St Petersburg approximately two weeks ago, after which the Russian president agreed to resume trilateral negotiations. The previous US-mediated peace talks took place in February, before the United States and Israel launched their war against Iran.

Ukraine's Position

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had indicated on October 23 that Kyiv, Moscow and Washington had agreed to hold negotiations at the working level during the first half of November.

Following his October 31 meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Istanbul, Zelenskyy again confirmed that preparations for a trilateral meeting were under way.

He stressed that negotiations should produce meaningful decisions on security and peace, while insisting that international support for Ukraine must not decrease. Zelenskyy has also called for European countries to be involved in the wider discussions, particularly on future security guarantees.

UAE's Mediation Role

Abu Dhabi has previously hosted diplomatic engagements and prisoner exchanges between Russia and Ukraine. On October 23, the UAE announced that its latest mediation efforts had secured the exchange of 540 captives, with 270 released by each side.

The UAE Foreign Ministry said the exchange was its 27th successful mediation effort in the conflict, bringing the total number of captives exchanged through its initiatives to 8,537.

The November 10–11 meeting will therefore provide another opportunity for the three countries to pursue negotiations through the UAE's diplomatic channel.

However, the announcement of talks does not establish that a ceasefire or peace agreement is imminent. Territorial disagreements and the question of Ukraine's long-term security guarantees remain significant obstacles, while the upcoming discussions are still at the working level rather than a confirmed meeting between Putin, Trump and Zelenskyy.