U.S.-Mediated Ukraine-Russia Talks to Resume in Abu Dhabi Next Week
U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff announced that working-level talks between Ukrainian and Russian delegations on ending the war will be held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on Nov. 10 and 11. The Kremlin has not yet confirmed the timing.
U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff said on Monday that the United States will bring together Ukrainian and Russian representatives in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, next week to discuss ending the war in Ukraine. The U.S.-mediated, working-level talks are planned for Nov. 10 and 11. The Kremlin has not yet confirmed when the next round of peace negotiations will take place.
In a post on X, Witkoff said the discussions will focus on post-war security arrangements, de-escalation, humanitarian efforts and next steps toward peace. He also referred to progress made in Kyiv, Oslo and St. Petersburg.
Preparations in Brussels
Before the Abu Dhabi meeting, American negotiators plan to meet this week in Brussels with French, German, British, EU and NATO representatives. They will discuss security guarantees for Ukraine, which would form part of Europe's broader post-war security framework.
A senior U.S. official told Reuters that Witkoff and Jared Kushner, U.S. President Donald Trump's son-in-law, are expected to represent the United States in Abu Dhabi.
Background
Witkoff has been engaged in intensive shuttle diplomacy on both the Ukraine and Iran wars in recent months. Last month he met Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg to restart talks. After that meeting, Russian officials said a new round of trilateral negotiations would take place in Abu Dhabi in November.
Trump has so far been unable to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. In recent weeks he has sharply criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, while claiming that Putin is interested in signing an agreement. Zelensky has resisted White House pressure to hand over territory in exchange for peace, arguing that this would only encourage further Russian aggression. Putin, for his part, continues to demand that Ukraine cede full control of the partially occupied Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine as a precondition for any ceasefire. Kyiv has repeatedly rejected that demand.
