Key facts
- A senior US official said the Abu Dhabi talks would cover ending the war, post-war security and de-escalation.
- Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are expected to represent the US in Abu Dhabi, the official said.
- Witkoff said the talks would build on progress made in Kyiv, Oslo and St. Petersburg toward a peace agreement.
- The Kremlin has rejected a ceasefire and demanded Kyiv cede parts of Donetsk and Luhansk it has not captured.
- Rubio said at a G20 foreign ministers meeting on October 31 he did not know if negotiated peace was achievable.
The United States will bring delegations from Ukraine and Russia together in Abu Dhabi on November 10-11 to discuss ending Moscow's war against Ukraine, post-war security agreements and de-escalation, a senior US official told Reuters. The official said Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were expected to represent the US at the talks.
Witkoff announced on November 3 that new rounds of trilateral negotiations between Russia, Ukraine and the US would be held on those dates. "Discussions will focus on post-war security arrangements, de-escalation, humanitarian efforts, and next steps toward peace," Witkoff wrote on X. He said the parties would build on progress made in Kyiv, Oslo and St. Petersburg toward a comprehensive, durable peace agreement.
According to the senior US official, Putin agreed to the round after meeting Witkoff in St. Petersburg about two weeks before November 2. The official said US negotiators would meet at the working level in Brussels during the week of November 2 with France, Germany, Britain, the EU and NATO.
Ukrainian and Russian officials spent weeks working to establish new rounds of talks. Zelenskiy and Putin both expressed willingness to negotiate after meeting Witkoff in Oslo and St. Petersburg, respectively, in October. Zelenskiy said one or two rounds of technical talks could pave the way for a summit involving himself, Trump and Putin. Zelenskiy and Putin have not held direct talks since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The Kremlin has repeatedly rejected a ceasefire and demanded that Kyiv surrender the parts of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts that Russian forces have not captured. Ukraine has called for a ceasefire along the current front line. "Our security guarantees are our guarantees, and they cannot be dictated by the Russian side," Zelenskiy said on October 25. "Restrictions on our army and Ukraine's neutrality are not up for discussion."
Rubio, speaking at a G20 foreign ministers meeting on October 31, said he did not know whether a negotiated peace was achievable. "I don't think anyone here is claiming that we're on the verge of a negotiated settlement," he told reporters.