The United States will bring together delegations from Ukraine and Russia in Abu Dhabi on November 10-11 to discuss ending Moscow's war against Ukraine, post-war security agreements and de-escalation, US envoy Steve Witkoff said on Monday. The announcement, confirmed by Witkoff's office in a post on X and reported independently by Reuters and Xinhua, sets the first US-mediated trilateral round since February — the round that preceded the United States and Israel's war against Iran.
What will the Abu Dhabi talks cover?
The discussions will cover "post-war security agreements, de-escalation, humanitarian measures, and ending the war," Witkoff said in his social media post. The talks are working-level negotiations, Xinhua reported, and Witkoff and Jared Kushner — the lead US negotiators — are expected to represent the United States in Abu Dhabi, a senior US official told Reuters. Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to a new round of trilateral talks after meeting Witkoff in St Petersburg two weeks ago, the official said, in the latest US push to stop Europe's bloodiest conflict since World War Two. No Russian confirmation of Putin's agreement appeared in the reporting opened for this article; the agreement is carried here on the US official's account, reported by Reuters. US negotiators have been seeking a breakthrough in the long-running conflict before the winter sets in, Reuters reported.
What happens in Brussels before the talks?
American negotiators will meet at the working level this week in Brussels with representatives from France, Germany, Britain, the European Union and NATO, the US official said. Those discussions will cover "Ukraine's security guarantees, Europe's future security framework, and economic support for Ukraine's reconstruction." Xinhua, reporting Witkoff's post, described the Brussels agenda in matching terms: security guarantees for Ukraine, Europe's post-war security architecture, and economic opportunities to support Ukraine's reconstruction. The official said the meetings build on recent discussions among the parties and "reflect President Trump's continued efforts to reach a lasting peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine."
How far apart are the two sides?
Far apart, on the record available. Ukraine and Russia remain far apart when it comes to the terms of any possible peace deal, Reuters reported, though President Trump has recently intensified pressure on Ukraine to strike some kind of agreement. The previous round of trilateral talks, held in Geneva in February, ended without any major breakthrough, Xinhua reported, and the last US-mediated peace talks took place before the United States and Israel launched a war against Iran. Fierce fighting between Ukraine and Russia continues unabated in the meantime: the Abu Dhabi announcement came on the same day Ukrainian officials reported at least 26 people killed in Russian aerial bomb strikes on a school distributing humanitarian aid in Komyshuvakha. Whether the November 10-11 round produces more than the February round did will turn on the gap Reuters describes — one that no party, in the reporting opened for this article, claimed had narrowed.
This report is drawn from Reuters' November 2, 2026 reporting by Steve Holland, opened and read in full on reuters.com and via a verbatim Reuters carrier, and from Xinhua's November 3, 2026 report, opened and read in full via People's Daily Online — two independent wires, from different ownership and different geographic perspectives, carrying the same announcement.
