US to mediate Ukraine-Russia technical talks in Abu Dhabi on 10-11 November

Trilateral talks set for Abu Dhabi

The United States will mediate technical-level negotiations between Ukraine and Russia on 10 and 11 November in Abu Dhabi, US special envoy Steve Witkoff announced in a post on X on Monday, 2 November. Witkoff presented the round as a step toward President Donald Trump's stated aim of ending the war. Delegations from Ukraine, Russia and the United States are expected to take part in a trilateral format that has not met since February. Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the chief US negotiators, are expected to represent Washington, according to a senior US official who spoke to Reuters. The last US-mediated talks took place in February, before the United States and Israel launched a war against Iran.

Witkoff said the Abu Dhabi discussions will cover post-war security arrangements, de-escalation, humanitarian steps and next steps toward peace.

“We look forward to building on the progress made in Kyiv, Oslo, and St. Petersburg toward a comprehensive, durable peace agreement that delivers lasting security for generations to come.”

Brussels meetings in the same week

Lower-level US officials are due to meet representatives of France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the European Union and NATO in Brussels during the week of 2 November. According to the US official cited by Reuters, those talks will address Ukraine's security guarantees, the future security framework for Europe and economic support for Ukraine's reconstruction. The US official said the Brussels meetings build on recent contacts between the parties and reflect Trump's continuing effort to secure a lasting peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in late October that he hoped a way would be found to bring the EU into talks with Russia and the United States.

Positions and pressure

Positions remain far apart, particularly over territory. Russia has escalated attacks on Ukrainian cities, and Vladimir Putin has refused to agree to a ceasefire. Zelensky said on Monday, 2 November, that Ukraine had intelligence pointing to a massive Russian attack on its energy and logistics facilities on Tuesday, 3 November, timed to coincide with the American midterm elections. Washington has agreed to lift sanctions on diesel sales from Russia and has taken other steps that Moscow welcomed, and US officials hope these moves will make Putin more willing to compromise. So far, Putin's only visible concession is agreeing to resume talks, which he did in October after a meeting with Witkoff in St. Petersburg. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov recently criticized European governments for trying to interfere in the peace process.

Next steps and timing

The Abu Dhabi round is scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, 10 and 11 November. Earlier signals from the Kremlin had pointed to delegations meeting in mid-November, a window that does not match the announced dates exactly. Ukraine has been fighting Russia's invasion for more than four and a half years with Western support. The Brussels meetings are scheduled to take place in the same week, before the Abu Dhabi talks begin.