Russian President Vladimir Putin has confirmed that Russia, United States, and Ukraine will hold their next round of peace talks in Abu Dhabi on November 10 and 11. He shared the details on Friday during a meeting with senior members of Russia’s Security Council. Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported that Putin also invited the officials involved in the peace talks to join the meeting and the talks would start on Tuesday.
Vladimir Medinsky will lead Russia’s team at the meeting. He chairs Russia’s Interdepartmental Commission on Historical Education. TASS reported, the Russian delegation will also include GRU chief Igor Kostyukov, Ambassador Yuri Ushakov and Deputy Foreign Ministers Mikhail Galuzin and Sergei Ryabkov. Medinsky has also led Russia’s team in earlier peace talks. He led Russia’s delegation during negotiations with Ukraine in Türkiye in 2022. Putin also thanked the United Arab Emirates for hosting the meeting and helping with humanitarian work and prisoner exchanges.
US envoy Steve Witkoff first announced the planned talks on Monday. He said the United States would bring Russian and Ukrainian officials together to discuss security concerns, ways to reduce tensions, support war victims and steps toward ending the conflict.
According to David Arakhamia, Rustem Umerov will lead Ukraine’s delegation. Before the Abu Dhabi meeting, Ukrainian and Western officials held talks in Brussels on November 4 and 5. Representatives from the United States, European Commission, United Kingdom, France, Germany and NATO joined the meetings. They discussed security plans, Ukraine’s recovery and financial support for the country in 2027. Zelensky said Ukraine wants its allies to clearly explain how they would respond if Russia attacks again. He asked who would take action, what resources they would use and when they would act.
Ukraine had earlier called for the talks and asked for an EU representative to join. Zelensky said European countries must be involved in discussions about Europe’s security. However, Russia and Ukraine remain divided on key issues. In January, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said a lasting peace deal would only be possible if Ukraine gave up the entire Donbas region.
Umerov said Ukraine wants security guarantees from its allies. On Tuesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov accused Ukraine of continuing attacks on Russian energy facilities. He also said Russia continues to strike infrastructure across Ukraine.
Other efforts to reduce tensions are also underway. On November 5, First Lady Melania Trump met Russian and Ukrainian officials at the White House to discuss a possible local ceasefire in the Kherson region. CNBC reported, Russia has said that a meeting between Putin, US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping could take place.
The United States hopes to make progress toward a peace deal before winter. President Donald Trump continues to push for an end to the war. The Abu Dhabi meeting will involve government officials rather than the presidents of the countries.
