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| US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff opened the first US-brokered Russia-Ukraine talks in nine months in Abu Dhabi on November 10, 2026. russia-ukraine-talks-abu-dhabi-kushner-witkoff.jpg |
Russia and Ukraine sat down in Abu Dhabi on November 10, 2026, for their first US-mediated talks in nine months, with Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff in the chair. The first day produced talk of a prisoner swap and a new security framework for Europe, but no sign that Moscow has moved on the one issue that has blocked every deal: territory.
Updated: November 11, 2026, as the second day of talks gets underway.
Quick Facts: Russia-Ukraine Talks in Abu Dhabi
Date: November 10-11, 2026
Location: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Format: Trilateral talks between the United States, Russia and Ukraine
US mediators: Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff
Russia's lead negotiator: Vladimir Medinsky, a Putin aide
Ukraine's lead negotiator: Rustem Umerov, head of Ukraine's Foreign Intelligence Service
Day one: About four hours of talks (AP)
Status: Second day scheduled for Wednesday; no breakthrough reported
Biggest obstacle: Russia's demand for Ukraine's eastern territory
What Happened at the Russia-Ukraine Talks in Abu Dhabi?
Russian and Ukrainian delegations met in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday for nearly four hours of US-mediated talks, the first such session in nine months, according to the Associated Press. Neither Secretary of State Marco Rubio nor Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attended. A second day of talks was scheduled for Wednesday.
The meeting was first flagged in the Just Security Early Edition for November 10, which, citing Reuters reporting, noted that officials from both countries met in Abu Dhabi for the first US-brokered talks since February 2026.
Who Is Negotiating for Russia, Ukraine and the United States?
Washington is represented by two of President Donald Trump's most trusted envoys: his son-in-law Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff. Anadolu Agency reported that Kushner told delegates the American team is acting under direct guidance from the president.
Moscow sent Vladimir Medinsky, the Putin aide who has led Russia's team since the first direct peace talks with Ukraine in Istanbul in March 2022. Photographs from the room distributed by AFP also show Igor Kostyukov, the director of Russia's GRU military intelligence agency, and Alexander Zorin of the General Staff's information directorate, a sign that Moscow brought military and intelligence officials alongside its diplomats.
Kyiv's delegation is led by Rustem Umerov, head of Ukraine's Foreign Intelligence Service. The UAE, which hosted earlier rounds in January and February, provided the venue, and UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan was seen at the table in agency photographs.
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| Vladimir Medinsky for Russia and Rustem Umerov for Ukraine met across the table for nearly four hours, but Putin's demand for eastern Ukraine remains the wall. russia-ukraine-peace-talks-medinsky-umerov-delegations.jpg |
Why Did It Take Nine Months to Get Back to the Table?
CBS News reported that the US, Russia and Ukraine held trilateral rounds earlier this year, in January and February, but that diplomacy largely stalled after Trump decided to launch the war with Iran alongside Israel. For months, Washington's attention, military resources and political capital were pointed at the Strait of Hormuz rather than the Donbas.
What changed? AP's analysis says there is nothing to suggest Russia has adopted a new posture that would produce a breakthrough, but the circumstances around the talks have shifted. Two factors stand out: the outcome of the US midterm elections, where Democrats swept Congress, and growing pressure on Russia's wartime economy.
That matters because Trump now enters the second half of his term with a weaker domestic position and an Iran war that remains unpopular. A Ukraine deal is one of the few foreign-policy wins still within reach, which gives Kushner and Witkoff a reason to push harder than at any point since the spring.
What Is Kushner Actually Proposing?
Kushner's stated goal is to build what he called a new framework and a new understanding that draws on past institutions and agreements, according to Al Jazeera's coverage of his opening remarks. In posts on X, he described the effort as a search for an enduring framework for long-term European security.
ABC News reported that this is a deliberate change of approach. For a year and a half, the negotiations led by Kushner and Witkoff have been stuck because Putin's demands are largely unchanged: Ukraine must surrender its eastern territory, accept limits on its military, and accept limits on the support it can receive from European countries.
To get around that roadblock, the envoys are trying to widen the agenda beyond territory and open talks on Putin's long-standing complaints about NATO in Europe. Fox News reported that Kushner and Witkoff are pushing a NATO-like security guarantee for Ukraine, aimed at deterring another Russian invasion.
There is another first. ABC reported that key European countries are taking part in the Abu Dhabi process for the first time. Kushner said on X that a comprehensive and lasting settlement will require direct engagement between Russia and America's European partners on the wider security arrangements that affect them. Fox reported the longer-term plan is to move from a US-Russia-Ukraine format to broader multilateral talks that include Europe.
What Did Zelensky Say About the First Day?
Zelensky called the first day constructive and quite substantive, according to Al Jazeera. He said the discussions were largely about humanitarian issues: prisoner exchanges, the return of Ukrainian civilians held in captivity, and children taken from Ukraine.
AP reported that a senior Ukrainian official, speaking anonymously, said both sides discussed a large-scale prisoner swap, with details to be worked out in the coming days. Kushner said he believes there are some good ideas on how to bridge the differences between the two sides, and described the session as an initial step that could build momentum, according to CBS News.
A prisoner exchange would be a real result for families on both sides. But it is also the kind of confidence-building measure that has been agreed in earlier rounds without changing the course of the war.
Why Is Territory Still the Wall?
Both Russia and Ukraine have been adamant on territory, Al Jazeera noted, and Fox News reported that American negotiators did not expect to resolve the dispute in Abu Dhabi.
The sticking point has not changed since the January round. At that time, Reuters-based reporting described Putin's demand that Ukraine give up the roughly 20 percent of Donetsk it still holds, an area of about 5,000 square kilometers, as a major obstacle to any deal. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said at the time that Ukrainian forces must leave the Donbas. Ukraine has consistently rejected territorial concessions, and Al Jazeera's earlier reporting said Kyiv will not sign without security guarantees that deter a new invasion.
After the February round, Zelensky said trust between the two delegations was at zero, and that the questions of Ukrainian forces leaving the Donbas and who controls the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant remained unresolved, according to Interfax reporting carried by bne IntelliNews.
In short, Kushner is trying to change the subject to security architecture because the territory argument has no visible solution.
Is There Any Sign of Progress?
Not yet, according to CBS News. Its report said Russia and Ukraine appeared to pour cold water on the initiative after Tuesday's session, and its headline said there were no signs of progress. AP added that the talks took place against a backdrop of new long-range strikes between the two countries, and that there is no indication the fighting is easing.
That pattern is familiar. During the January and February rounds, Russia launched massive missile and drone barrages on Ukraine while delegations were meeting, cutting power to more than a million people in freezing weather, according to Reuters reporting carried by TimesLIVE. Ukraine's foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, accused Putin of ordering the strikes cynically while diplomacy was under way.
What Happens Next in the Russia-Ukraine Peace Process?
Three things are worth watching.
The second day in Abu Dhabi. Delegations meet again Wednesday. The key question is whether the prisoner-swap discussion produces a firm date and numbers, and whether Russia engages with the European security track or dismisses it.
A possible Kushner and Witkoff trip. Fox News reported that the envoys are considering returning to meet Putin and Zelensky in person, depending on how Abu Dhabi goes.
Europe's seat at the table. If European countries stay in the process, the talks could grow into a wider security negotiation. If Moscow refuses to deal with them directly, the new framework could stall within weeks.
For readers tracking the war, the lesson of 2026 is that talks and strikes have run in parallel. A meeting in Abu Dhabi does not mean a ceasefire, and the real test will be whether anything agreed in the room changes what happens on the front line this winter.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did the Russia-Ukraine talks in Abu Dhabi take place?
The talks opened on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, and were scheduled to continue on Wednesday, November 11. Day one lasted nearly four hours, according to the Associated Press.
Who is mediating the Russia-Ukraine talks?
The United States is mediating, represented by Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff. The United Arab Emirates is hosting the talks in Abu Dhabi.
Who is leading the Russian and Ukrainian delegations?
Vladimir Medinsky, a Putin aide, leads Russia's team. Rustem Umerov, head of Ukraine's Foreign Intelligence Service, leads Ukraine's team.
Is a ceasefire expected?
No ceasefire has been announced. US officials have said the goal in Abu Dhabi is not a final agreement but a framework for more frequent negotiations, according to Fox News.
What are the main issues being discussed?
Prisoner exchanges and the return of civilians and children are the main humanitarian topics, according to Zelensky. On the political side, the US is pushing a European security framework and a NATO-like guarantee for Ukraine, while territory in eastern Ukraine remains the central dispute.
Why do these talks matter now?
They are the first US-mediated Russia-Ukraine talks in nine months, and they follow the US midterm elections and rising pressure on Russia's wartime economy, according to AP.
How is this different from the January and February talks in Abu Dhabi?
The new round brings European countries into the process for the first time and shifts the focus from territory to wider European security, according to ABC News.