What to know: upcoming peace talks involving Russian, Ukrainian and US officials face deep divisions
Security guarantees lead agenda
The talks are set to take place in Abu Dhabi and will focus on security guarantees, according to Russia and Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv and its allies have discussed assurances similar to NATO’s Article 5, which treats an attack on one member as an attack on all.
Zelenskyy asked what would happen if Russia attacked again, including who would respond, with what means and when. The Kremlin says any potential agreement must also provide security guarantees for Russia. Donald Trump said a wider agreement could involve more than Ukraine and might include all of Europe.
Ceasefire and territory divide
The negotiations follow a weeklong localized truce near Russian-occupied Oleshky in southern Ukraine. Brokered with help from U.S. first lady Melania Trump, it enabled some residents to evacuate and humanitarian supplies to arrive. Despite both governments describing it as a positive model, intense fighting has continued along the 1,200-kilometer front line, alongside increased drone and missile attacks.
Russian President Vladimir Putin wants Ukraine to withdraw from four regions Moscow annexed but never fully captured. He also demands that Ukraine abandon its NATO membership bid, limit its military and lift restrictions on the Russian language and the Moscow-affiliated Orthodox Church.
Dispute over European role
Ukraine says its European allies must have a place at the negotiating table, while Russia opposes their involvement for now. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said European governments would need to join broader negotiations, but only at a later stage.
On Oct. 27, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre spoke by phone with Putin. They said they spoke as leaders of Russia’s Nordic neighbors, not on behalf of the European Union, which has struggled to choose a negotiator with Moscow.
Recent contacts and earlier talks
On Nov. 4, Zelenskyy said on X that he had spoken for 90 minutes with U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law. He said the discussions should advance at full speed to end the war as soon as possible.
Kushner wrote that Europe and Russia had struggled for more than 30 years to build a lasting security framework. He cited decades of mistrust, competing security concerns and the war’s consequences as major obstacles to lasting peace. At talks in Istanbul in 2025, Medinsky, a former culture minister known for hard-line views, reportedly invoked Peter the Great’s 21-year war against Sweden and said Moscow was prepared to fight as long as necessary.
Key points
- The Abu Dhabi talks are the first scheduled meeting of Russian, Ukrainian and U.S. negotiators since February.
- Security guarantees are expected to be the central topic, but Russia and Ukraine differ over what a deal should include.
- Fighting continues along a 1,200-kilometer front line despite a localized weeklong truce near Oleshky.
- Ukraine wants European allies involved in negotiations; Russia says their role should come later.