Russia and Ukraine hold a second day of US-brokered talks in Abu Dhabi
[November 11, 2026]
By BASSAM HATOUM
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Delegations from Moscow and Kyiv
on Wednesday held a second straight day of U.S.-brokered talks on ways
of ending the war started by Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine nearly
five years ago.
Hopes are low for any breakthrough in the first meeting in nine months
between the delegations, although U.S. officials say they are determined
to revive peace efforts that so far have failed to deliver significant
results.
“We are starting the second day of negotiations,” Rustem Umerov, the
head of Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service who leads Kyiv’s
delegation in Abu Dhabi, said on social media.
The envoys met for four hours Tuesday in the capital of the United Arab
Emirates, which was chosen as a neutral venue. The talks, mediated by
U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and envoy Steve
Witkoff, were due to conclude later Wednesday.
The context of the negotiations has changed since the last meeting in
February in Geneva. The Trump administration has to reckon with
Democrats, who could demand more support for Ukraine, taking over the
U.S. Congress in January following the U.S. midterm elections.
Also, Russia’s wartime economy is under heavy strain, and Ukraine is
reeling from devastating aerial attacks on its power grid.
Umerov said that Wednesday would begin with three-way talks involving
Russia, Ukraine and the United States, with Kyiv’s delegation meeting
afterwards with European officials.
Moscow doesn’t want European countries, which are concerned about
Russia’s conduct and broader intentions on the continent, involved in
the direct negotiations. However, representatives of European
governments, the European Union and NATO were in Abu Dhabi and were
consulting with the Ukrainian delegation, officials said.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday’s session was
“constructive and quite substantive.”
The talks were largely about humanitarian issues, including possible
prisoner exchanges and returning Ukrainian civilians in captivity,
as well as children taken from the country, he said.
Security guarantees also were discussed, he said. However, Russia
and Ukraine have shown no sign of a willingness to compromise on
their demands.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the meeting “very
productive,” while cautioning that a breakthrough on stopping the
war will take time.
The Abu Dhabi talks are being held against the backdrop of continued
fighting on the front line, where little territory has changed hands
this year.
Meanwhile, both countries are battering each other with long-range
missiles and drones.
Overnight, Russia struck the southern Zaporizhzhia region and the
eastern city of Kharkiv, wounding seven civilians and damaging
property.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said that air defenses downed 627
Ukrainian drones overnight, 150 of them over the region around St.
Petersburg, according to the regional Gov. Alexander Drozdenko.
He said that the drones started a fire at the port of Ust-Luga, one
of the main facilities for Russian oil exports, injuring three
workers.
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