US-led talks between Ukraine and Russia opened in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, with Washington pushing for a new security framework for Europe, according to France 24.
US President Donald Trump’s envoys, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, brought the warring delegations together for several hours of negotiations in the United Arab Emirates. These discussions mark the first direct meetings between Kyiv and Moscow since February. The talks are scheduled to continue on Wednesday.
Kushner told delegates that the United States had narrowed the gaps between the two sides without providing specific details. He added that Washington hopes to move toward a solution to Europe’s worst conflict since World War II, according to France 24.
In Paris, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the meetings very productive. He also stated that European nations must eventually join the negotiating table because they are part of solving the problem.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the discussions as constructive and quite substantive. Speaking in Copenhagen, Zelenskyy reported that his team discussed humanitarian issues and security guarantees. He also noted that negotiators are working on a large-scale prisoner exchange, with US officials planning to travel to Russia for further talks.
Kyiv’s chief negotiator, Rustem Umerov, stated that Ukraine’s core priorities remain securing a ceasefire and obtaining reliable security guarantees. Umerov met with US envoys, along with European Union and NATO officials, before the main session Al Jazeera reported. Meanwhile, Russian forces continued overnight bombardments across Ukraine, cutting power to thousands of homes as winter temperatures plummet.
Russia included Sergei Ryabkov, a senior diplomat who previously lodged Moscow’s pre-invasion demand for NATO to pull back from eastern Europe, in its delegation. A Russian delegation source told France 24 that settling the war is merely one item on the agenda. Moscow’s primary objective remains reviewing security for the entire continent.
Kushner stated that the United States wants to create a new framework of security between Ukraine, Russia, and Europe to secure decades, if not centuries, of peace. Leaders fear that Washington might strike a deal with Moscow that rewrites post-war European security or forces Kyiv to accept a de facto defeat.
Ukraine has warned against a Yalta 2.0 scenario, referencing the division of Europe by Western leaders and the Soviet Union after World War II. The European Union maintains that broader security arrangements can only be discussed after a ceasefire takes effect. In a joint statement, European, Ukrainian, US, and NATO representatives reaffirmed their shared commitment to a strong post-war European security architecture.
The trilateral negotiations in Abu Dhabi are set to resume on Wednesday. US officials plan to travel to Moscow to advance discussions regarding the proposed prisoner exchange. European leaders are also pressing to select an official representative to join the ongoing diplomatic process as international pressure mounts to find a lasting resolution.
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