Russia-Ukraine Talks Mediated by U.S. to Take Place in Abu Dhabi on Nov. 10 and 11

Key Facts

Abu Dhabi will host U.S.-mediated talks between Russia, Ukraine and the United States on Nov. 10 and 11, in a new diplomatic effort to end the war, U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff confirmed. The round is expected to address postwar security arrangements, de-escalation and humanitarian efforts, according to The Associated Press. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that a Russian delegation would participate. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country expected the trilateral meeting format to resume on the scheduled dates. No agreement on the issues to be discussed had been announced before the talks began.

Kyiv has listed halting strikes on energy facilities and critical infrastructure among its priorities, alongside resuming grain shipments through the Black Sea and expanding prisoner exchanges. Zelensky said the expected agenda includes security guarantees, a ceasefire in the energy sector and a Black Sea truce to ensure food exports. These demands link infrastructure security to the continued flow of agricultural goods through export corridors. Kyiv also pointed to prisoner exchanges as a humanitarian track for expansion. These remain negotiating objectives, with no understanding on them announced.

The call to halt energy strikes follows Russian attacks overnight that hit 10 regions on Nov. 3, according to The Associated Press, which said Ukrainian power company DTEK had halted operations at three of its plants. Zelensky said the attacks covered nine regions and that Russia launched 289 attack drones, 17 ballistic missiles and 59 cruise missiles. He added that the strikes caused emergency power outages. These developments underscore energy infrastructure as a direct issue in the upcoming negotiations. No information announced so far indicates an existing agreement to stop targeting it.

The date was set after differing accounts of the round's timing. Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov said the timing of the talks was linked to developments in the Middle East and that Moscow had not proposed a specific date. Zelensky later said he expected the trilateral meeting to resume on Nov. 10 and 11, and Witkoff confirmed the date, according to the cited sources. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz described the new round as "the right step" to help end the fighting. But he called on Russia to engage in serious negotiations on a ceasefire and peace agreement, saying he had so far seen no signs of the required seriousness. Merz said Europe's participation in the process was necessary.

European consultations on security and reconstruction are taking place in parallel. Zelensky's visit to Germany began a round of contacts with European leaders ahead of the U.S.-led talks. A senior U.S. official also said U.S. negotiators would meet in Brussels with representatives of France, Germany, Britain, the European Union and NATO to discuss guarantees for Ukraine's security, the European security framework and reconstruction support. The European Commission announced it would host a meeting on Wednesday with officials from France, Germany, Britain, the European Union, NATO, the United States and the World Bank to discuss Ukraine's reconstruction. These meetings point to a parallel track of consultations, while European participation in the announced negotiating delegation was not mentioned.

In the previous round of U.S.-mediated talks in Abu Dhabi, the parties agreed to exchange 314 prisoners of war, Witkoff announced on Feb. 5, 2026. Zelensky said at the time that Ukraine supported any diplomatic format that would bring peace closer in a realistic way, make it credible and lasting, and prevent the fighting from continuing. A dispute over Donetsk also remained: Moscow demanded the full withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from the region, while Kyiv called for freezing the conflict along the current front lines and rejected a unilateral withdrawal. Zelensky said he hoped the Abu Dhabi talks and other diplomatic efforts would pave the way for a trilateral meeting of the countries' leaders. The steps announced ahead of the next round center on the Brussels consultations and the European reconstruction meeting.