Reuters/CCTV. U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff said on Monday that the United States will mediate working-level negotiations between Ukraine and Russia next week in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.
The Office of Steve Witkoff confirmed in a post on X that negotiations are scheduled to take place on Nov. 10-11 in Abu Dhabi. Discussions will focus on post-war security arrangements, de-escalation efforts, humanitarian assistance, and the next steps toward achieving peace.
Additionally, American negotiators will meet this week in Brussels with representatives from France, Germany, Britain, the EU and NATO to discuss "security guarantees for Ukraine, Europe's post-war security architecture, and economic opportunities to support Ukraine's reconstruction", according to the post.
On Friday, Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov said in a media interview that Russia plans to hold Russia-U.S.-Ukraine trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi with the United States playing a mediating role.
He also described the upcoming talks as of "decisive significance" for resolving the Ukraine issue.
Also on Friday, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia had no intention to suspend its military operations in any way ahead of the talks, and that preparations for the talks did not mean Russia had committed to restricting military operations.
Despite the Trump administration's efforts to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, fierce fighting between the two sides continues unabated.
The previous round of trilateral talks involving Ukraine, Russia, and the United States took place in Geneva, Switzerland, in February, but ended without any major breakthrough.
