Ukraine’s negotiators left for Abu Dhabi on Monday ahead of two days of U.S.-brokered talks with Russia, the first three-way meeting between the sides since February. The talks in the United Arab Emirates are set for Tuesday and Wednesday, Nov. 10 and 11, and for the first time European officials will be in the city at the same time, though not formally at the table.
Rustem Umerov, who heads Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service and leads its delegation, announced the departure on Telegram. He said representatives of Britain, France, Germany and Italy, plus NATO and the European Commission, will be in Abu Dhabi, and that Ukraine will hold separate coordination meetings with them, the Kyiv Post reported.
Our goal is a long-term and sustainable peace, guaranteed security for Ukraine.
Rustem Umerov, head of Ukraine’s delegation, via the Kyiv Post
What the U.S. wants on the agenda
U.S. envoy Jared Kushner, who will attend with fellow envoy Steve Witkoff, laid out four priorities, according to UNITED24 Media: ending the fighting, building credible postwar security guarantees, preparing an economic plan for Ukraine, and advancing humanitarian steps. Other topics include crisis communications, military transparency and steps to reduce the risk of escalation. Kushner said the U.S. is approaching the talks “with determination and realism.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday in Florida that there had been some progress on postwar security, but stressed that nothing is final and that the war must end first, Euromaidan Press reported. In a 60 Minutes interview that aired Sunday, President Donald Trump said Ukraine would “end up with a little bit different shape,” without explaining what he meant. The Kremlin pointed to conditions on the battlefield after his remark, according to the Kyiv Post.
Russia’s view
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday the meeting is a three-way session between Russia and Ukraine with U.S. mediation, and on Sunday said Moscow had held no talks with Europeans on a security agreement, Euromaidan Press reported. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said security for Russia, Ukraine and the region is the first item on the agenda and that Moscow welcomes this.
Europe pushes for a seat
European leaders want a say because any security guarantees for Ukraine would rest largely on them. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she spoke with President Volodymyr Zelensky by phone and that freedom of navigation in the Black Sea must be restored. Germany is sending Gunter Sautter, a top adviser to Chancellor Friedrich Merz, the Kyiv Post reported. Poland’s foreign minister, Radoslaw Sikorski, warned against Western European countries negotiating with Russia over the heads of Eastern Europeans.
Norway’s prime minister, Jonas Gahr Støre, called Abu Dhabi a stepping stone and suggested possible early steps such as a Black Sea shipping ceasefire, a halt to energy strikes, a freeze of the front line and prisoner swaps, according to Euromaidan Press. Britain and France are preparing a force that could deploy to Ukraine if fighting stops and Kyiv asks for it.
Pressure on the ground
The talks come days after Russian missiles hit Kyiv’s power system and a major bridge. Zelensky says the strikes on Ukraine’s grid are meant to squeeze the country before negotiations, and reports cite power outages for more than 600,000 people in the Dnipropetrovsk region. Trump also met Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev at the White House on Nov. 5, UNITED24 Media reported. Earlier this month, Ukraine honored first lady Melania Trump for her role in a local truce.
Why it matters for families
The war has shaped food and energy prices around the world, and talk of Black Sea shipping matters because Ukraine is a major grain exporter. For Ukrainian families, the biggest hopes are an end to the attacks on homes and power plants as winter nears and the return of prisoners of war. Many families also pray for peace for both nations.
What to watch next
Watch whether the sides agree on even limited steps, such as an energy-strike pause or prisoner exchanges, and how European officials are briefed afterward. A German official called this an initial session, so a quick follow-up meeting is possible. Upstormed News will follow the talks.
Read more: Eisenkot Receives Mandate to Form Israel’s Government; 28-Day Clock Starts
What would you most like to see come out of this week’s talks? Tell us in the comments.
Sources: Kyiv Post, “Ukraine Heads to Abu Dhabi for Talks as Umerov Vows to Keep Europe Involved” (November 9, 2026); UNITED24 Media, “Ukraine-Russia Talks Enter New Phase as Kushner Details Postwar Security Agenda” (November 9, 2026); Euromaidan Press, “Europe heads to the Abu Dhabi talks on ending Russia’s war, but the Kremlin says it hasn’t discussed a security deal with Europeans” (November 9, 2026)
Leave a Reply