The US wants to mediate between Ukraine and Russia at working level in Abu Dhabi on 10 and 11 November. “The United States will mediate working talks between Ukraine and Russia in Abu Dhabi on 10 and 11 November, advancing President Trump’s mission to end the war,” Witkoff wrote, according to the reports.
According to Witkoff, the talks are to focus on post-war security arrangements, de-escalation, humanitarian measures and the next steps on the path to peace. “We look forward to building on the progress made in Kyiv, Oslo and St Petersburg,” the special envoy is quoted as saying. The goal is a comprehensive, lasting peace agreement that brings security to future generations.
Brussels meeting later this week
According to Witkoff, the US negotiating team will meet representatives of France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the EU and NATO in Brussels later this week. There, security guarantees for Ukraine, Europe’s post-war security architecture and economic opportunities to support Ukraine’s reconstruction are to be discussed.
Who will represent the US in Abu Dhabi is only partly known: according to a senior US official cited by the news agency Reuters and reported by the Guardian, Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law, are expected.
Commitments from Kyiv and Moscow – with reservations
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had already named the date earlier. According to Yevropeiska Pravda, he said that after talks between European heads of state and government and Russian President Vladimir Putin, the impression had arisen that Russia was seriously interested in a meeting of the negotiating groups in Abu Dhabi. On 27 October, according to Zelensky, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre had phoned Putin on their own initiative and “clearly told him” that genuine de-escalation steps were needed with regard to Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
On the Russian side, Putin’s adviser Yuri Ushakov reportedly said that consultations between Ukraine, the US and Russia on possible trilateral talks would take place after 4 November. That is reported by The New Voice of Ukraine.
Zelensky had also stressed that Kyiv wanted the talks before a possible summit between the US, China and Russia. European participation in Abu Dhabi would be preferable for Ukraine, but Kyiv would not block the meeting if the US insisted on a trilateral format, according to The New Voice of Ukraine.
According to the Guardian, the last US-mediated trilateral peace round took place in February – before the US and Israel began a war against Iran. Ukraine and Russia remain far apart on the conditions for a possible peace.
According to the Guardian, Witkoff met Putin in St Petersburg two weeks ago; a new round of talks was agreed there. At the end of October there had also been talks in Oslo with Zelensky, Witkoff and European heads of state and government, which, according to Ukrainska Pravda, concerned territorial issues, security and Ukraine’s reconstruction.
Editor’s note: Whether the talks will actually take place as announced also depends on further developments. The Russian side has not yet confirmed the date.
