Ukraine Peace Talks Set for Abu Dhabi on Nov 10-11

New three-way Ukraine peace talks between Russia, Ukraine and the United States will take place in Abu Dhabi on November 10 and 11, the Kremlin confirmed on Tuesday, Reuters reported. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky will be Moscow's chief negotiator.

It will be the first US-mediated trilateral round since February, before the US-Israeli war on Iran interrupted the diplomatic process.

What is on the agenda

US special envoy Steve Witkoff announced the meeting on November 2. He said Washington would mediate working-level talks on post-war security arrangements, de-escalation, humanitarian efforts and next steps toward peace, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) reported.

A senior US official said Witkoff and Jared Kushner are expected to lead the US side. According to RFE/RL, Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to the trilateral format after meeting Witkoff in St Petersburg about two weeks ago.

The push follows a short US-brokered ceasefire last week that allowed residents of the Russian-occupied southern city of Oleshky to receive aid or leave. The Kremlin has suggested that this does not mean it is ready for a wider truce.

Fighting continues before the talks

The violence has not eased. Ukraine said a Russian strike on a school where humanitarian aid was being handed out killed dozens of people on November 2. Overnight into November 3, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Russia launched:

• 289 attack drones;
• 17 ballistic missiles;
• 59 cruise missiles.

Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha said at least 13 energy facilities in nine regions were hit, and officials reported at least 62 people injured at a medical facility in Kharkiv. Ukrainian drones struck an oil refinery in the Russian city of Yaroslavl, according to officials quoted by RFE/RL.

Low expectations for a breakthrough

Analysts quoted by RFE/RL urged caution. Former US ambassador to Ukraine William Taylor said the key question was whether Putin had decided to accept a ceasefire, which Washington and Kyiv have both supported. Heather Conley of the American Enterprise Institute said she did not expect a breakthrough, though a follow-up meeting or more prisoner exchanges were possible.

US officials are also due to meet French, German, British, EU and NATO representatives in Brussels this week to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine and support for reconstruction.

Why it matters in Asia

The war has pushed up energy and food prices worldwide since 2022, so markets in Asia, including Thailand, also watch these talks closely. Any real progress toward a ceasefire could ease pressure on global markets, though few observers expect quick results.

For more global coverage, read about the stalled Iran-US talks and our guide to the US midterm elections.

Photo: Abu Dhabi skyline from the Corniche, by Sabithnav / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.