The United States will bring together delegations from Ukraine and Russia in Abu Dhabi on November 10-11 for fresh talks aimed at ending Moscow’s war against Kyiv, with discussions expected to cover post-war security arrangements, de-escalation and humanitarian measures, US envoy Steve Witkoff said on Monday.
The latest diplomatic push comes as Washington seeks to revive negotiations before winter sets in, with the conflict continuing to inflict heavy damage on Ukraine and showing little sign of a military resolution.
Witkoff, announcing the planned discussions in a social media post, said the agenda would include “post-war security agreements, de-escalation, humanitarian measures, and ending the war”.
Witkoff and Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and a lead negotiator in the peace efforts, are expected to represent Washington at the Abu Dhabi meetings, a senior US official told Reuters.
Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to a fresh round of trilateral negotiations following a meeting with Witkoff in St Petersburg two weeks ago, marking a renewed attempt by the Trump administration to bring Moscow and Kyiv back to the negotiating table.
Ahead of the talks, US negotiators will hold working-level discussions in Brussels this week with representatives from France, Germany, Britain, the European Union and Nato.
The meetings will focus on security guarantees for Ukraine, Europe’s future security framework and financial support for Ukraine’s reconstruction, the US official said.
The discussions are intended to build on recent diplomatic contacts and reflect Trump’s efforts to secure a lasting settlement between the two countries.
Deep divisions over peace terms
Despite renewed diplomatic activity, Moscow and Kyiv remain sharply divided over the terms of any potential settlement, particularly territorial control and security arrangements for Ukraine after the war.
Russia has maintained demands for Ukraine to relinquish territory it claims to have annexed, while Kyiv has rejected territorial concessions and sought firm security guarantees to deter any future Russian attack.
Ukraine has also pushed for assurances from Western allies, including potential European-led security arrangements and continued military support. The precise form of any post-war guarantees remains unresolved.
The territorial dispute has been a central obstacle in previous rounds of negotiations. Moscow has also sought restrictions on Ukraine’s military capabilities and its future relationship with Nato, positions that Kyiv has resisted.
The last formal US-mediated trilateral peace talks took place in February, with further negotiations disrupted after the United States and Israel launched their war against Iran later that month.
US envoys Witkoff and Kushner renewed diplomatic contacts with Moscow and Kyiv in September, although those discussions did not produce a breakthrough. The proposed Abu Dhabi meeting would bring the three sides together again in a trilateral format.
Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The conflict has since become Europe’s largest war since World War Two, with repeated diplomatic efforts failing to resolve fundamental disagreements over territory, sovereignty and security.
The upcoming talks will test whether the renewed US-led initiative can narrow those differences and establish a framework for ending the fighting.
