INTERNATIONAL – Russia, Ukraine and the United States are preparing for another round of peace negotiations in Abu Dhabi, as Washington intensifies efforts to end the conflict approaching its fifth year. According to CNN, the discussions scheduled for November 10 and 11 represent the first trilateral meeting since February, offering another opportunity to explore a diplomatic solution despite significant disagreements between Moscow and Kyiv.
The American delegation is expected to include presidential envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, while Ukraine will be represented by its chief negotiator, Rustem Umerov. Russia wants the negotiations to remain strictly trilateral, although European officials, alongside representatives from NATO and the European Union, are also expected to hold separate discussions in the UAE capital.
Security guarantees are expected to dominate the agenda. Washington wants to establish arrangements that could prevent another invasion after a potential peace agreement. Ukrainian officials have previously discussed guarantees resembling NATO’s Article 5, which treats an attack against one member as an attack against the entire alliance.
Read More: Spain’s Transport Minister Resigns Following Major Political Controversy
US officials have described the negotiations as a fresh opportunity to establish lasting peace. One American official said, “We need to come up with a way that, when we end this war, it really is a final end to the war.” However, European leaders remain skeptical about Moscow’s willingness to negotiate sincerely. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said there was little evidence that Russia was prepared to negotiate in good faith.
Territorial disputes remain another major obstacle. Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to demand control over Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, alongside restrictions on Kyiv’s military capabilities and its ambitions to join NATO. Ukraine, meanwhile, refuses to surrender its territory and insists that meaningful security guarantees must accompany any settlement.
Previous negotiations have produced limited results. Earlier meetings in Abu Dhabi and Geneva failed to deliver a significant breakthrough, although some discussions resulted in prisoner exchanges. The latest diplomatic effort also follows months of intensified attacks on energy infrastructure and continued fighting along the front line.
Atlantic Council analyst and former US ambassador to Ukraine John Herbst advised keeping expectations low, suggesting that Putin may simply be using the negotiations to maintain Washington’s attention while distancing itself from Kyiv.
With both sides maintaining sharply different demands, the Abu Dhabi meeting faces a difficult test: turning diplomatic engagement into concrete progress without compromising Ukraine’s future security.
