Envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are mediating a two day round with Russia’s Vladimir Medinsky and Ukraine’s Rustem Umerov, with security guarantees at the top of the agenda.
Tamrah News Desk | November 10, 2026
The Abu Dhabi peace talks between the United States, Russia and Ukraine opened on Tuesday, the first meeting of the three sides in more than nine months, France 24 reported. Negotiators are due to meet on November 10 and 11, according to Meduza, with territory and security guarantees on the agenda. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the format as
“trilateral negotiations between Russia and Ukraine with US mediation”
Al Jazeera reported.
Who Is Taking Part in the Trilateral Talks
Ukrinform reported that Ukraine’s delegation is led by Rustem Umerov and includes presidential chief of staff Kyrylo Budanov and parliamentary faction leader Davyd Arakhamia. Meduza said Russia’s team is headed by Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky and includes deputy foreign ministers Sergei Ryabkov and Mikhail Galuzin. The United States is represented by Witkoff and Kushner, German news agency dpa reported. Before the session, Ukrainian negotiators met officials from Britain, France, Germany, Italy, NATO and the European Commission, with Witkoff and Kushner also present. Russia has said it does not want Europeans in the negotiations, according to Al Jazeera.
What Is on the Agenda for Security Guarantees for Ukraine
According to dpa, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the talks would address a regional security framework, and Moscow has drawn up a position paper. Umerov said Kyiv’s priorities are ending hostilities, reliable security guarantees, economic recovery and humanitarian measures. A US official told reporters that both sides had privately shown some flexibility on a possible territorial exchange. The official said guarantees could include a defence commitment modelled on Article 5 of the NATO treaty, and that any territorial deal would most likely come last, Al Jazeera reported. The Standard of Hong Kong reported that Kushner told delegates recent contacts had
“narrowed the gaps”.
The Standard also reported that France said no lasting peace was possible without addressing European security. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said talks on Europe’s security architecture should follow a ceasefire, dpa reported.
Will the Abu Dhabi Peace Talks Produce a Breakthrough?
Observers do not expect a breakthrough from this round, dpa reported. ABC News reported that Moscow demands Ukraine withdraw from Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, while Zelenskyy refuses to cede territory Moscow does not control. The Standard reported no sign that Putin will drop his demand that Ukraine leave all of Donbas. ABC said Trump told reporters that Ukraine and Russia are “tired of fighting”. Ukrainian lawmaker Oleksandr Merezhko told ABC he expects little beyond prisoner exchanges.
Zelenskyy said on Monday that Ukrainian battlefield gains had strengthened Kyiv’s position and that Russia was suffering record losses, a claim Moscow disputes.
How Earlier Rounds Unfolded
The first trilateral round in Abu Dhabi took place on January 23 and 24, according to All India Radio, and ended without a breakthrough. Al Jazeera said the delegations last met in Geneva on February 18. Axios reported that the effort was suspended in February because of the war in Iran. ABC said the process has secured some prisoner exchanges and short, localized ceasefires. PBS noted that a localized truce around the occupied city of Oleshky was reached last month.
Fighting Continues During the Talks
Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 162 drones and one ballistic missile overnight into Tuesday, and that 135 drones were shot down or suppressed, ABC reported. Russia’s Defense Ministry said it downed 155 Ukrainian drones. dpa reported that Ukrainian drones set fire to a large oil refinery in the Leningrad region, while Russia again targeted energy infrastructure.
Conclusion
The Abu Dhabi peace talks are the first trilateral talks involving the United States, Russia and Ukraine since February. For readers following Ukraine Russia US talks, the main issues are security guarantees for Ukraine, the status of Donbas and the role of Europe. Witkoff and Kushner are mediating while Zelenskyy and the Kremlin remain far apart on terms.
