LONDON — American, Ukrainian and Russian representatives gathered in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday for his or her newest spherical of trilateral peace talks, with President Donald Trump’s administration in search of a diplomatic breakthrough after 1,721 days of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of its neighbor.
Trump — who got here to workplace vowing to finish the battle inside 24 hours — has to this point been unable to drive a breakthrough. His chief negotiating envoys, Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, are main the U.S. delegation in Abu Dhabi this week.
On Monday, Trump struck a constructive tone when discussing the approaching assembly. “They speak about wars, Ukraine and Russia. And by the way in which, we’re having an excellent dialog about that in Abu Dhabi,” the president mentioned.
“Ukraine and Russia are bored with preventing. They’re bored with seeing useless younger troopers,” Trump added.
Members of the Ukrainian, U.S. and Russian peace talks delegations meet in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on Nov. 10, 2026.
Rustem Umerov Through Telegram/by way of Reuters
A supply in Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s workplace informed ABC Information that Kyiv’s delegation is led by Rustem Umerov, the pinnacle of Ukraine’s Overseas Intelligence Service and its lead consultant in previous rounds of talks. Amongst these accompanying him are Kyrylo Budanov, the pinnacle of Zelenskyy’s workplace, and Davyd Arakhamia, the pinnacle of Zelenskyy’s celebration within the Ukrainian parliament.
The Russian delegation is led by Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov mentioned. Additionally attending are Kremlin official Yuri Ushakov, the pinnacle of Russia’s international army intelligence company, Igor Kostyukov, and Sergei Ryabkov, the deputy international minister, Peskov mentioned.
The primary U.S.-brokered trilateral assembly was held in Geneva in February 2026, however this 12 months has seen little diplomatic progress, with each camps nonetheless far aside on key points. The negotiations have secured some prisoner-of-war exchanges and short-lived, localized ceasefires.
Russian Overseas Minister Sergey Lavrov mentioned on Monday that this week’s talks will put “safety points regarding Russia, Ukraine and the area as an entire” on the high of the agenda. The members would additionally work towards “agreeing on rules that may very well be permitted following consultations on a complete settlement of the battle in Ukraine,” Lavrov mentioned.
Zelenskyy mentioned Monday that he had spoken with European Fee President Ursula von Der Leyen forward of the talks. Each the French and German international ministers additionally mentioned they’d be collaborating within the Abu Dhabi conferences, although Peskov maintained that the talks would stay trilateral in format.
An man walks previous a closely broken kindergarten constructing and a debris-strewn courtyard following a missile assault on a residential space in Kyiv, on Nov. 7, 2026.
Dan Bashakov/AP Picture
A press release posted to the Ukrainian presidential web site mentioned Kyiv “is doing every little thing to make sure that the trilateral format delivers outcomes.”
Delegation head Umerov, in the meantime, mentioned in a publish to Telegram on Tuesday morning that Kyiv’s workforce is prioritizing “ending hostilities, dependable post-war safety ensures, financial restoration and growth of Ukraine, and humanitarian measures.”
With the battle approaching its fifth anniversary, the 2 combatants seem far aside on a possible settlement. Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly rejected U.S.-Ukrainian proposals for a ceasefire below which a last settlement may very well be negotiated.
Moscow is demanding that Ukraine withdraw from 4 contested areas — Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson — the Kremlin claimed to have annexed in September 2022, after referendums that the worldwide neighborhood largely refused to acknowledge. Putin additionally desires Ukraine completely barred from NATO and to face limits on the scale and capabilities of its army.
Zelenskyy has mentioned Ukraine can not conform to any deal that doesn’t embody concrete safety ensures from the U.S. and different NATO allies to guard in opposition to renewed Russian aggression.
Kyiv, Zelenskyy mentioned, should additionally retain the best to represent its personal armed forces and select its personal future safety preparations, together with membership of NATO. The Ukrainian chief has refused Russian calls for to cede territory not managed by Moscow’s forces.
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a gathering with particular envoy Steve Witkoff on the Constantine Palace in Strelna, a suburb of St. Petersburg, Russia, October 21, 2026.
Gavriil Grigorov/Pool Sputnik by way of EPA/Shutterstock
Since Trump returned to workplace, U.S.-Ukrainian ties have at instances been fraught. The president has repeatedly pressured Zelenskyy to make concessions to Moscow in pursuit of a peace deal. Trump has described Zelenskyy at instances as a “dictator” and criticized Kyiv for delaying deliberate elections, which constitutionally can’t be held whereas the nation is below martial legislation.
Trump has suspended U.S. monetary and army assist to Ukraine, as an alternative demanding that different NATO allies buy American arms meant for Ukraine’s use. Kyiv has repeatedly appealed to the U.S. to offer extra ammunition for its Patriot surface-to-air missile systems particularly, the programs key to Ukrainian efforts to blunt escalating Russian drone and ballistic missile strikes.
In March, Trump threatened to develop sanctions and tariffs on Russia in a bid to push Moscow to the negotiating desk. In the end Trump failed to take action, and within the lead-up to this month’s midterm elections struck a take care of Putin to import cargoes of Russian diesel — a transfer that prompted criticism from home opponents, international allies and Kyiv.
Trump informed CBS Information’ “60 Minutes” program on Sunday that he nonetheless believes an settlement to finish Russia’s full-scale invasion is feasible. “I consider that that battle goes to finish and it should finish quickly. And the one motive it should finish is due to me,” Trump mentioned.
President Donald Trump speaks throughout an occasion within the Oval Workplace of the White Home, November 5, 2026 in Washington
Andrew Harnik/Getty Photos
Trump additionally appeared to indicate that he was open to adjustments in Ukraine’s borders as a part of a peace settlement, saying that the nation will find yourself with “slightly bit totally different form Ukraine.”
Trump mentioned the enmity between Putin and Zelenskyy was the prime impediment to a deal: “There’s large hatred,” he mentioned. Requested whether or not that sentiment is comprehensible coming from Zelenskyy, on condition that his nation was invaded, Trump mentioned it’s, but in addition recommended that Ukraine had disrespected Russia throughout an preliminary assembly.
“Effectively, it’s, however once they had their first assembly, there was nice disrespect proven to Russia. So I am not going to say,” Trump mentioned. Requested if he thought Putin was stringing him alongside, Trump replied, “Oh, I do not assume so.”
A U.S. official informed ABC Information throughout a briefing on Monday that negotiators have been “cautiously optimistic” forward of the talks in Abu Dhabi, although framed the assembly as a leaping off level for extra advanced negotiations to finish the battle.
“Whereas each events stay skeptical of the opposite celebration’s intentions, we do see promising indicators because the mediator, and we will work to maintain pushing to construct the areas of widespread floor in order that we will work to a conclusion,” the U.S. official mentioned.
Trump’s feedback and conduct have deepened considerations in Ukraine that the president desires the victims of the battle, quite than the aggressors, to pay the worth for peace, Oleksandr Merezhko — a member of the Ukrainian parliament and the chair of the physique’s international affairs committee — informed ABC Information.
A passerby walks previous a Ukrainian flag displayed on a big monitor throughout an influence outage within the centre of Kyiv on Nov. 7, 2026.
Sergei Supinsky/AFP by way of Getty Photos
Merezhko mentioned he has “completely no hopes” for this week’s conferences in Abu Dhabi, past attainable new offers to alternate prisoners of battle. “There cannot be any tangible end result as a result of Putin retains insisting on his absurd calls for which, in actuality, imply give up for Ukraine,” he mentioned.
“Putin’s purpose is to mimic negotiations to keep away from sanctions from Trump. However he has completely no intent to barter with a purpose to achieve a concrete end result,” Merezhko recommended. “His final purpose is just not a ceasefire or a compromise; his purpose is subjection of Ukraine and installment in Kyiv of a Russian puppet regime.”
Each Russian and American officers have mentioned that the Abu Dhabi talks will embody discussions on broader European safety preparations. That “appears to be new,” mentioned Samuel Charap, a senior political scientist at RAND who has advocated for talks.
Nonetheless, Charap informed ABC Information, “They‘re not going to return to some radically extra bold settlement given there hasn’t been any dialog for the previous 9 months.”
A supporter of the Russian Communist Celebration holds a pro-war leaflet throughout a rally in central Moscow, Russia, on Nov. 7, 2026.
Yulia Morozova/Reuters
Putin launched the invasion in February 2022 with the intention of dismembering Ukraine and putting in a pliant authorities in Kyiv. The “particular army operation,” because the Kremlin termed the assault, marked the most recent chapter in Moscow’s decades-long effort to retain affect over Kyiv and undermine Ukraine’s relations with the European Union and NATO.
What the Kremlin meant as a brief marketing campaign has now lasted longer than both World Conflict I or the Soviet Union’s confrontation with Nazi Germany in World Conflict II, identified in Russia as Nice Patriotic Conflict.
Russian officers routinely describe the battle with Ukraine as a direct contest with the NATO alliance, whose constituent nations rallied to assist Ukraine army and financially, added two new members — Sweden and Finland — and sought to extend collective army spending to satisfy the Russian risk.
Fierce preventing continues all alongside the 745-mile frontline. The invasion shortly devolved right into a bloody battle of attrition, with Russian items edging ahead — at huge value, based on figures revealed by the Ukrainian army and broadly supported by Western intelligence assessments — alongside the contact line in elements of jap and southeastern Ukraine.
This 12 months has seen vital Ukrainian counterattacks within the contested Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia areas, liberating a whole bunch of miles of occupied territory, based on commanders in Kyiv.
On this picture offered by Ukraine’s sixty fifth Mechanized Brigade press service, recruits take an oath on the frontline within the Zaporizhzhia area, Ukraine, on Nov. 8, 2026.
Andriy Andriyenko/Ukrainian 65 Mechanized brigade
In the meantime, each Russia and Ukraine have expanded their long-range strike campaigns by the course of 2026. Every night time, a whole bunch and generally hundreds of drones and missiles cross the shared border heading in each instructions, with Kyiv and Moscow each among the many common targets.
The variety of civilian casualties is steadily creeping up consequently, notably amongst Ukrainians.
In a single day into Tuesday, Ukraine’s air drive mentioned Russia launched 162 drones, of which 96 have been jet-powered, and one ballistic missile into the nation. The air drive mentioned that 135 drones, of which 70 have been jet-powered, have been shot down or in any other case suppressed. Impacts have been reported throughout 19 areas, the air drive mentioned.
Russia’s Protection Ministry, in the meantime, mentioned its forces downed no less than 155 Ukrainian drones in a single day.
ABC Information’ Victoria Beaule, Oleksiy Pshemyskyi, Natalia Kushnir, Tanya Stukalova, Anna Sergeeva, Shannon Ok. Kington and Michelle Stoddart contributed to this report.
