Representatives of Russia, the United States, and Ukraine are set to begin trilateral peace talks in Abu Dhabi on November 10, 2026, marking the first direct discussions in this format since February 2026.
The two-day diplomatic round in the capital of the United Arab Emirates brings together negotiating teams as mediators push to restart stalled settlement efforts.
US President Donald Trump stated that a major agreement is approaching. This will be a major agreement, and it will affect not only Ukraine
, Trump said, predicting that it could affect not only Ukraine but all of Europe.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov noted that collective security tops the agenda. The very agenda of the negotiations in Abu Dhabi has as its first item the issues of Russia’s security, Ukraine’s security, and overall security in this region
, Lavrov stated on November 9.
Presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov emphasized that security guarantees must remain mutual. Issues related to security guarantees. They can only be mutual, — noted Peskov, adding that Moscow maintains that one nation’s security cannot be built at another’s expense.
The Russian delegation is led by Vladimir Medinsky, joined by Deputy Foreign Ministers Sergei Ryabkov and Mikhail Galuzin, along with military intelligence chief Igor Kostyukov and General Staff official Yury Zhigarovsky. Ukraine’s team is headed by Rustem Umerov. Washington is represented by special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
The European Commission and European Council announced plans to send a joint team of senior officials to Abu Dhabi. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen confirmed the participation after speaking with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, emphasizing support for freedom of navigation in the Black Sea. However, the Kremlin maintained that the talks in Abu Dhabi remain strictly trilateral between Moscow, Kyiv, and Washington.
The upcoming diplomatic sessions follow a period of heightened international activity, which included US presidential envoy Jared Kushner outlining a proposal regarding European security architecture following consultations in Brussels. Concurrently, international organizations and the Ukrainian government have estimated reconstruction needs.
Meanwhile, European foreign ministers, including France’s Jean-Noël Barrot, expressed intent to ensure a European voice is present during the discussions, while other officials debated the precise modalities and representation formats for the wider region.