Tripartite Talks Between Washington, Kyiv and Moscow in Abu Dhabi on November 10 and 11

Key Facts

The United States, Ukraine and Russia are preparing to hold tripartite talks in Abu Dhabi on November 10 and 11, in a new round aimed at discussing an end to the war, postwar security arrangements and de-escalation, according to Reuters, as reported by AP. Jared Kushner said Washington is working with all parties to find practical solutions that end the war and lay the foundations for lasting peace. Kushner described Thursday’s U.S. talks with Ukraine, NATO and European allies as “productive,” saying they focused on security guarantees for Kyiv and a broader security architecture for Europe. The United States is to be represented in Abu Dhabi by Kushner and envoy Steve Witkoff, according to a U.S. official cited by Reuters. The round’s agenda puts security and postwar political arrangements alongside the question of ending the war, while Moscow and Kyiv remain far apart on the terms of any possible agreement.

The planned round will be the fourth round of negotiations mediated by President Donald Trump’s administration, after three previous rounds this year, AP reported in October. Two rounds were held in Abu Dhabi in January and February, while the latest round took place in Geneva in February. AP described the new talks as the first resumption of negotiations since February 2026, defining the interval since the previous round without making the Abu Dhabi meeting the first talks bringing the three countries together since 2022. Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed “in principle” to resume talks after November 10, according to his foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov. Ushakov said the focus would be on building a security system for Russia and Ukraine after the conflict ends. The issue is central to earlier disagreements: AP said previous rounds made no progress on the security arrangements needed to sustain a peace agreement.

Russian President Vladimir Medinsky’s aide is due to lead Moscow’s delegation, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, according to Reuters. Naming Russia’s chief negotiator reveals the announced level of representation for the round, while the information provided did not identify the other members of the delegation. On the U.S. side, Witkoff and Kushner are expected to take part as the lead negotiators, according to a U.S. official cited by Reuters. The meeting date was announced after talks in Brussels between U.S. negotiators and representatives of Ukraine and its European allies. Kushner said those discussions were productive and focused on security guarantees for Ukraine and the broader security architecture for Europe. This course of talks reflects that prior consultations are not limited to negotiations with Moscow and Kyiv, but also include discussion of European allies’ role in security arrangements.

A U.S. official said American negotiators had planned to hold working-level talks in Brussels with representatives of France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the European Union and NATO. The issues under discussion included security guarantees for Ukraine, Europe’s future security framework and dedicated support for reconstruction. At the Brussels meetings ahead of the Abu Dhabi round, U.S., British, French, German and other European officials discussed postwar reconstruction, 2027 funding and security guarantees, according to AP. Ukraine’s chief negotiator said representatives of the World Bank and BlackRock attended those discussions. Including reconstruction and funding alongside security guarantees places economic recovery among the issues in the broader talks surrounding the round. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said European representatives’ participation was necessary when discussing security guarantees and Ukraine’s economic recovery.

Zelensky had said he held a 90-minute conversation with Witkoff and Kushner late Wednesday, before the Brussels meetings and the announcement of the Abu Dhabi round. He added: “Our proposals are clear, and we have presented them to the U.S. side.” AP said Ukraine and Russia remain far from agreeing on the terms of a possible settlement, while Trump has recently intensified pressure on Kyiv to reach an agreement. According to an earlier AP report, the disagreements center on security arrangements; previous talks made no progress on the guarantees needed to sustain a peace agreement. The agency also said Moscow is demanding full control over four Ukrainian regions it annexed, in addition to the Crimean Peninsula, while Kyiv rejects giving up territory without firm security guarantees. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the new tripartite round was a step in the right direction toward ending the war and stressed that Europe must take part in the process.

In Washington, Trump said a potential agreement could involve parties beyond Ukraine, adding: “There will be an agreement, and it will be a big agreement, and it will involve more than Ukraine.” He said it could include all of Europe. Zelensky said the team-level talks, alongside other diplomatic efforts, should pave the way for a later tripartite meeting at leaders’ level. The Abu Dhabi round follows Putin’s in-principle agreement to resume talks after November 10, while the announced meeting begins on November 10 and runs into the following day. The agenda is expected to focus on ending the war, postwar security agreements and de-escalation, according to Reuters. The round will test the parties’ ability to turn ongoing discussions on security guarantees and reconstruction into understandings involving Russia, Ukraine and the United States, at a time when reports describe the two sides as still far apart on the terms of a settlement.