Russia, Ukraine and the United States held their first three-way peace talks in about nine months on Tuesday, Nov. 10, in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.
The US-mediated session lasted nearly four hours, with a second day of talks scheduled for Wednesday, as Washington made a fresh push to end the war that began with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The story in 7 points
- The talks in Abu Dhabi were the first in this three-way format since February 2026.
- US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner represented the United States.
- Rustem Umerov, head of Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service, led Kyiv’s team.
- Vladimir Medinsky, an aide to Vladimir Putin, led Russia’s delegation.
- The first session lasted nearly four hours, with a second day planned for Nov. 11.
- The White House said the talks would focus on future security guarantees.
- The two sides remain far apart on territory and on how Ukraine’s security would be protected.
Before the three-way meeting, Ukraine’s delegation met US envoys and representatives from the UK, France, Germany, Italy, NATO and the European Commission. Russia has objected to European involvement in the talks, though it said EU representatives could join at a later stage.
The previous rounds of three-way talks took place in January and February, ending in Geneva without an agreement. The fighting has not slowed: Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 162 drones and a ballistic missile overnight before the talks opened.
Why it matters
The war is now more than four and a half years old and has killed hundreds of thousands of soldiers and thousands of civilians. Any progress on security guarantees could open the door to a ceasefire, but both sides are still holding to their core demands, and no deal has been announced.
Sources: PBS NewsHour (AP), ABC News, CBS News