Russia and Ukraine Resume US-Brokered Peace Talks in Abu Dhabi After Nine Months

The Abu Dhabi skyline. Image via Wikimedia Commons.

Russian and Ukrainian officials are meeting in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday for two days of US-brokered talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine — their first direct negotiations since February, according to Reuters.

What we know

• The talks are scheduled for 10–11 November in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, and are being mediated by the United States.
• US President Donald Trump said last week that a broad peace deal was possible in the four-and-a-half-year-old war, and that it could also cover Europe's security.
• Russia's delegation is headed again by Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky, and includes Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov for the first time and senior military officer Yuri Zhigarlovsky.
• Ukraine's team is led by Rustem Umerov, with presidential chief of staff Kyrylo Budanov and parliamentarian Davyd Arakhamiya also taking part.
• The United States is represented by special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, according to Reuters.
• The agenda is expected to include post-war security arrangements, de-escalation steps and humanitarian measures.

Background

The biggest obstacle remains territory. Moscow wants Kyiv to surrender the parts of the Donetsk region that remain under Ukrainian control, while Ukraine wants the existing front line to be frozen in place, according to US officials quoted by Reuters. Ukrainian officials have rejected suggestions that Kyiv would accept territorial concessions.

European powers, including France, Germany and the European Commission, are sending officials to Abu Dhabi, but Russia has said it does not want the Europeans to take part in the negotiations. Ukrainian delegates will instead meet them separately to brief them on the progress of the discussions.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Monday that Ukraine's team was already in the United Arab Emirates and would propose de-escalatory steps, adding that there must be an understanding on how to arrange a meeting of the leaders to end the war. Kushner, however, cautioned that the talks were unlikely to produce an immediate settlement and were aimed at building momentum for further diplomacy.

The negotiations follow an earlier round in Geneva in February that ended without a breakthrough. Russian missile and drone strikes hit Kyiv and surrounding regions on 6–7 November, days before the talks, according to reports.

What happens next

The two days of discussions in Abu Dhabi are a renewed diplomatic effort, not a done deal — no ceasefire or settlement has been announced, and the outcome remains uncertain. The talks also come after Democrats swept the US midterm elections, which could shape the political backdrop for Washington's diplomacy.