US, Ukraine and Russia resume peace talks in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday

Delegations from the United States, Ukraine and Russia will open two days of peace talks in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, on Tuesday, 10 November. It is the first trilateral meeting since February; earlier rounds this year produced no visible progress, the Associated Press reported.

Security guarantees top the agenda. Ukraine argues that an immediate ceasefire must come first, while Russian President Vladimir Putin will not agree to a general halt in hostilities. Moscow also insists that any deal must include security guarantees for Russia.

Who is at the table

The US side is represented by special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law. Ukraine's delegation is led by Rustem Umerov, head of the Foreign Intelligence Service. Russia's is led by Putin aide Vladimir Medinsky, who also headed Moscow's team at the first direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul in March 2022.

Europe's place

Kushner wrote on X on Monday that peace would also require direct engagement between Russia and European partners on the broader security arrangements that affect them. In Abu Dhabi, he and Witkoff will first meet envoys from Ukraine, the European Union, Nato, Germany, France, the UK and Italy.

The Kremlin does not yet see Europeans at the table. “No one is going to invite them to the negotiating table,” said Putin aide Yuri Ushakov, while Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov acknowledged that Europeans would be needed “at some stage”. Umerov said the Ukrainian delegation would hold separate meetings with European envoys in Abu Dhabi.

Trump said in an interview with 60 Minutes on Sunday that Moscow and Kyiv were “very close” to a deal. Analysts are more cautious: the two sides remain far apart, especially on territory.