Witkoff: new round of Ukraine-Russia-US talks in Abu Dhabi on November 10-11, with a stop in Brussels first

The new trilateral meeting of Ukraine, Russia and the US in Abu Dhabi will take place on November 10 and 11, with the Americans as mediator. The date was announced by White House special envoy Steve Witkoff in a post on X on Monday, November 2, settling the question Kyiv had left open when Volodymyr Zelensky spoke of a trilateral in Abu Dhabi between November 6 and 10.

“The United States will mediate technical-level negotiations between Ukraine and Russia on November 10-11 in Abu Dhabi, advancing President Trump’s effort to end the war,” Witkoff wrote. The agenda, as he described it, includes post-war security arrangements, de-escalation, the humanitarian dimension and next steps towards peace. A senior US official told Reuters that the US is expected to be represented by Witkoff himself and Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

Brussels with the Europeans first

Before the meeting in the United Arab Emirates, American negotiators will be in Brussels during the week with representatives of France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the EU and NATO. They will discuss security guarantees for Ukraine, Europe’s post-war security architecture and economic opportunities for the country’s reconstruction. “We look forward to building on the progress made in Kyiv, Oslo and St Petersburg towards a comprehensive and lasting peace agreement that will secure permanent security for generations to come,” Witkoff said.

Vladimir Putin agreed to the new trilateral round after meeting Witkoff in St Petersburg on October 21, a day after the American envoy’s meeting with Zelensky in Oslo. The last US-mediated talks were held in February, before the US-Israeli war against Iran. Ukraine and Russia remain far from each other on the terms of a possible agreement.

Bombs on Komyshuvakha and mixed messages from Washington

The announcement came hours after the Russian bombing of a school serving as an aid distribution point in Komyshuvakha, in the Zaporizhzhia region, which killed at least 26 people. Zelensky called on Washington to pressure Moscow “in a way that leaves it no choice but to end this war”.

US relations with both sides are going through a difficult phase, The National writes. Trump approved a sanctions exemption for Russian diesel amid the energy crisis, while Witkoff called Putin a “humanitarian” after their meeting. At the same time the US president is pressing Kyiv to stop strikes on Russian oil facilities, has said it is “time for Ukraine to have a new president”, but left open the possibility of inviting Zelensky to the G20 summit in Florida in December. In October Trump said efforts to end the war are “maybe closer than ever”.