Witkoff says the US will mediate Russia-Ukraine talks in Abu Dhabi, the first face-to-face round since February

The US, Russia and Ukraine will hold peace talks in Abu Dhabi on 10 to 11 November in an effort to reach a breakthrough on a deal to end the war, US special envoy Steve Witkoff said^1,11. The US will mediate the “working-level” negotiations^4,14. They will be the first face-to-face negotiations since February³.

In a social media post, Witkoff said the discussions will cover post-war security arrangements, de-escalation, humanitarian efforts and next steps^6,8,11. The lead US negotiators, Witkoff and Jared Kushner, are expected to represent the US⁵.

How the talks came about

US officials say the meeting restarts a diplomatic effort that was suspended in February because of the war in Iran¹. They say it is the result of talks Witkoff and Kushner held in recent weeks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin¹. Putin agreed to a new round of talks².

The White House hopes Putin will be more willing to compromise after Trump agreed to lift sanctions on Russian diesel sales and took other steps¹. US negotiators have been seeking a breakthrough in the long-running conflict before winter sets in⁹.

The announcement came as fighting continued. At least 26 people were killed in Russian strikes on an aid centre in Ukraine¹⁴.

Why it matters to investors

Progress toward a settlement would bear directly on sanctions policy, which Washington has already begun to ease with the decision on Russian diesel sales¹. The agenda Witkoff set out covers post-war security and de-escalation¹¹, and the White House has tied its hopes for compromise to the sanctions relief it has already granted¹.

The talks are also a test of the trilateral format itself, with the US positioned as mediator between the two sides rather than a party to a bilateral deal^4,13.

What to watch

The immediate markers are who leads each delegation in Abu Dhabi and whether the working-level format produces an agreed text on any of the four topics Witkoff listed^5,11. Washington’s hope that sanctions relief makes Moscow more flexible will be tested in the room¹, while continued strikes on Ukrainian targets are a reminder of the distance between the sides¹⁴.