Ukraine, Russia and US Open Peace Talks in Abu Dhabi

The United States, Ukraine and Russia opened a new round of peace negotiations in Abu Dhabi on November 10, with security arrangements and possible principles for a wider settlement among the issues on the agenda. The meetings are the first trilateral session since February, and follow months of limited diplomatic progress.

Ukraine Needs Security Guarantees, Not Pressure to Surrender

Ukraine entered talks in Abu Dhabi on November 10 with a clear priority: a settlement must protect the country from another Russian attack. Kyiv says reliable security guarantees, the right to maintain its armed forces and control over its future partnerships cannot be traded away for a deal shaped around Moscow’s demands.

Russia is seeking Ukrainian withdrawal from four regions it claims to have annexed, along with restrictions on Ukraine’s military and a permanent bar on joining NATO. Kyiv rejects giving up territory Russian forces have not captured and says a ceasefire should come before negotiations on a broader settlement.

The Trump administration’s effort to broker peace has yet to bridge the sides’ major differences. Trump has pressed Ukraine to make concessions, suspended U.S. aid and suggested the country could emerge with altered borders. The Abu Dhabi talks may offer a path forward, but a settlement that leaves Ukraine exposed to renewed aggression would not deliver the security Kyiv says it needs.

Abu Dhabi Talks Test Trump’s Push to End Ukraine War

The Abu Dhabi negotiations give President Donald Trump’s administration another chance to pursue a diplomatic end to a war that has dragged on for years. U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are meeting with Russian and Ukrainian representatives, as Trump says he believes an agreement can be reached soon.

The obstacles remain substantial. Moscow demands Ukrainian withdrawal from four regions and limits on Kyiv’s military and NATO ambitions; Ukraine rejects ceding territory and insists on security guarantees. The sides have made little progress in previous rounds, though negotiations have produced prisoner exchanges and brief local ceasefires.

A settlement will require confronting the competing demands rather than assuming that more fighting will resolve them. Trump has argued that the hostility between Putin and Zelenskyy stands in the way of an agreement, and has indicated that Ukraine’s borders could change. Whether the Abu Dhabi meetings can establish principles for a comprehensive deal remains to be seen.