On Tuesday and Wednesday, Russia and Ukraine will resume their negotiations in Abu Dhabi under American sponsorship, after a hiatus that lasted more than eight months, amid limited hopes for progress towards a diplomatic settlement of the war. The talks raise European fears of a rapprochement between Washington and Moscow, in light of continuing disputes over territory and security guarantees.
Published on: 10/11/2026 - 05:13 Last updated: 10/11/2026 - 05:21
Russia and Ukraine will return to the negotiating table on Tuesday and Wednesday in the Emirati capital, Abu Dhabi, in a new round under American sponsorship, the first since the Geneva talks in February, which ended without substantive results.
The American delegation is headed by envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, while the Ukrainian delegation is led by Rustam Umarov and the Russian delegation is led by Vladimir Medinsky.
According to Kushner, the talks aim to enable Moscow and Kiev to discuss their security concerns for the post-war period, in an effort to reach concrete solutions.
But a high-ranking Ukrainian official told Agence France-Presse that Kiev does not expect specific results, while Berlin stressed the need to verify Russia's readiness to negotiate seriously.
European fears of a rapprochement between Washington and Moscow
The negotiations coincide with European fears about the possibility of reaching American-Russian understandings that do not take into account the interests of Kiev and its allies.
US President Donald Trump had expected to conclude a "very large" agreement with Moscow that would include Ukraine and all of Europe, after a series of criticisms he directed at the Ukrainian leadership.
In an attempt to ensure its presence in the diplomatic track, European representatives are heading to the UAE to hold separate talks with the American and Ukrainian delegations.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed coordination of positions with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who stressed the necessity of a ceasefire before any discussion regarding reformulating the European security architecture.
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Disputes over land and security guarantees
The positions of Moscow and Kiev remain far apart on fundamental issues. Russia demands the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from the entire Donetsk region and the redefinition of the European security structure, while Kiev refuses to abandon the region and demands strong security guarantees to prevent it from being exposed to new Russian attacks.
The Kremlin also opposes the deployment of European peacekeeping forces in Ukraine, while Russian forces continue to bomb energy infrastructure, threatening millions of Ukrainians with power, heating, and water outages as winter approaches.
A local truce opens a limited window of hope
Despite the differences, a local ceasefire recently supervised by US First Lady Melania Trump was a rare positive indicator, after it allowed the evacuation of residents of a city on the front line in the Kherson region.
Ukrainian analyst Volodymyr Fesenko considered that the success of this truce might prompt Kiev to demand similar agreements to reduce the escalation.
But Moscow continues to reject a comprehensive ceasefire, arguing that it would allow Ukraine to strengthen its military capabilities.
Previous direct negotiation rounds only achieved exchanges of prisoners and the bodies of soldiers, while the war of attrition continues, leaving hundreds of thousands dead and wounded and widespread destruction since the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022.
France 24/AFP
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