Russia, Ukraine and US prepare for first trilateral talks since February in Abu Dhabi
US-mediated talks between Russia and Ukraine are scheduled for Nov 10-11 in Abu Dhabi, the first such round since February. Both sides have named their delegations; Moscow's now includes arms-control diplomat Sergei Ryabkov for the first time.
Delegations from Russia, Ukraine and the United States are scheduled to meet in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday and Wednesday, November 10-11, for US-mediated talks on ending Russia's war against Ukraine. It will be the first trilateral round since February, according to Reuters reporting carried by several outlets.
What the talks are meant to cover
US envoy Steve Witkoff announced the meeting on November 2. He said in a social media post, as reported by Reuters, that the discussions would cover "post-war security agreements, de-escalation, humanitarian measures, and ending the war." A senior US official told Reuters that Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the lead US negotiators, were expected to represent Washington.
Reuters reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to a new round after meeting Witkoff in St Petersburg about two weeks before the announcement. The previous US-mediated rounds took place earlier in 2026: on January 23-24 and February 4-5 in Abu Dhabi, and February 17-18 in Geneva, according to Anadolu Agency.
Who is going
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the Interfax news agency on November 7 that Russia's delegation will again be led by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky. It will include Deputy Foreign Ministers Sergei Ryabkov and Mikhail Galuzin, military intelligence chief Igor Kostyukov, and Yury Zhigarlovsky, a deputy head of the General Staff's Main Operational Directorate.
Ryabkov, who oversees relations with the Americas as well as arms control and non-proliferation, is joining these negotiations for the first time, as is Zhigarlovsky. Peskov added that presidential foreign-policy aide Yury Ushakov would oversee the talks, Anadolu reported. Bloomberg, cited by the Kyiv Independent, said the expanded line-up could signal a willingness to discuss political and military issues in more depth.
All of the Russian delegates attended a Security Council meeting with Putin on November 6, part of which was devoted to the talks. In the televised portion, Putin thanked the United Arab Emirates for hosting.
On the Ukrainian side, David Arakhamia, parliamentary leader of President Volodymyr Zelensky's party, told the Kyiv Independent that the team would be led by Rustem Umerov, head of the Foreign Intelligence Service. Anadolu reported that the delegation also includes Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Presidential Office, his first deputy Serhii Kyslytsia, communications adviser Dmytro Lytvyn, and Arakhamia himself.
Positions going in
Kyiv has said it is not considering territorial concessions. Zelensky has described them as a "red line" that only national leaders could discuss, according to The New Voice of Ukraine, which also cited a Ukrainska Pravda report from late October that Ukraine's negotiators wanted to shift the focus towards future security arrangements for Ukraine and Europe. Zelensky has pushed for European participation but said he would not derail the meeting if Washington insisted on a three-way format.
The backdrop
The diplomatic effort comes as Russia continues missile and drone strikes on Ukrainian cities and energy infrastructure ahead of winter. Reuters reported overnight strikes around Kyiv that strained power and heating supplies and damaged the city's Northern Bridge, according to Mayor Vitali Klitschko.
US negotiators have been seeking a breakthrough before winter. The last round was held before the United States and Israel launched a war against Iran, which Reuters said had interrupted the earlier talks.
What to watch
Key questions are whether the expanded Russian team produces concrete steps on humanitarian issues or de-escalation, whether any joint statement emerges, and whether European governments get a formal role. The Daily Context will update this story after the November 10-11 sessions.
Sources
- Reuters (Nov 2, 2026): https://www.reuters.com/5f374b32b07b/world/europe/us-hold-trilateral-talks-with-ukraine-russia-abu-dhabi-next-week-us-official-2026-11-02/
- Kyiv Independent (Nov 7, 2026): https://kyivindependent.com/russia-to-send-senior-diplomats-military-officials-to-upcoming-peace-talks-in-abu-dhabi/
- Anadolu Agency: https://www.aa.com.tr/en/eurasia/kremlin-declares-composition-of-russia-s-delegation-at-new-trilateral-abu-dhabi-summit/4115152
- The Jerusalem Post / Reuters (Nov 7, 2026): https://www.jpost.com/international/article-914121
- The New Voice of Ukraine / Reuters: https://english.nv.ua/russian-war/medinsky-to-lead-russian-delegation-at-abu-dhabi-peace-talks-reuters-50657217.html
- Reuters World News Summary via Devdiscourse (Nov 7, 2026): https://www.devdiscourse.com/article/international/4003258-reuters-world-news-summary
Image: Photo: Sabithnav / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Abu_Dhabi_skyline_-_corniche.jpg) — file photo
About this article: prepared by The Daily Context editorial desk using automated, source-based reporting from the publications linked above. No reporter was on the ground.