# Russia, U.S. and Ukraine Plan Abu Dhabi Talks on Postwar Security Guarantees

*Friday, October 23, 2026 at 10:07 AM UTC — Hamer Intelligence Services Desk*

**Published**: 2026-10-23T10:07:06.711Z (2h ago)
**Category**: geopolitics | **Region**: Eastern Europe
**Importance**: 8/10
**Sources**: OSINT
**Permalink**: https://hamerintel.com/data/articles/21311.md
**Source**: https://hamerintel.com/summaries

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**Deck**: The Kremlin says Russia, the United States and Ukraine will hold trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi in early November focused on security arrangements after a potential peace settlement. The announcement lands as Vladimir Putin insists he wants a ‘final agreement’ and Kyiv’s leadership faces public pressure over whether to soften its stance on negotiations.

Russia says it is preparing for three-way talks with the United States and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi in the first half of November, a rare diplomatic opening after months of grinding frontline combat and stalled political channels.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian media that negotiations in a trilateral format are scheduled for early November in the Emirati capital. According to Peskov, the main agenda will be “security issues for Russia and Ukraine following a peace settlement.” No date was given, and neither Washington nor Kyiv has yet offered public detail beyond confirmation that contacts on security arrangements are ongoing.

The announcement comes as President Vladimir Putin publicly claims he wants not a short ceasefire but a “final agreement” with Ukraine, including security guarantees for both countries. He has also repeated the Kremlin’s narrative that Russians and Ukrainians are “one people” and insisted that Russia has “always” sought a peaceful solution, despite a full-scale invasion in 2022 and more than 17,000 civilians killed since then, according to UN figures.

In Kyiv, the idea of negotiations remains politically explosive. President Volodymyr Zelensky has been bound by a 2022 decree prohibiting talks with Putin personally, issued after Moscow staged annexation referendums in occupied regions. His former press secretary, Iuliia Mendel, recently argued that if Zelensky genuinely sought peace he would have to make “three uncomfortable choices,” starting with rescinding that decree. Her comments are a reminder that Ukrainian leaders are juggling battlefield realities, public anger over Russian atrocities, and the demands of Western backers who fund and arm their defense.

For civilians in Ukraine, the prospect of talks mixes hope and dread. A credible path to a durable settlement could eventually ease the constant threat of missile and drone strikes that now reach cities from Kharkiv to Kherson and Dnipro. But any negotiation that formalizes Russian control over occupied territory or limits Ukraine’s military options would leave millions living under a government they didn’t choose and deepen a sense of betrayal among those who have lost relatives in the war.

For Washington and its European allies, Abu Dhabi represents a chance to gauge Moscow’s seriousness about security arrangements without formally recognizing its territorial claims. U.S. officials have repeatedly backed Kyiv’s right to define the terms of peace, but they also recognize that sustaining large-scale military support indefinitely carries domestic and budgetary costs. A framework for postwar security—whether through NATO-style guarantees, bilateral defense pacts, or arms supply commitments—will shape how quickly Ukraine can deter a renewed Russian assault.

Abu Dhabi’s role is also notable. The United Arab Emirates has maintained working ties with both Russia and the West throughout the war, hosting Russian capital and serving as a diplomatic and aviation hub. Acting as a venue for early-stage talks cements its position as a mediator willing to engage actors that distrust each other.

Peace processes don’t start with grand ceremonies; they start when bitter enemies are willing to sit in the same city and talk about what happens after the guns fall silent, even if that moment still feels distant.

Key indicators in the weeks ahead will be whether Ukrainian officials soften language around the 2022 negotiation ban, how openly the United States acknowledges its role in the talks, and whether Russia adjusts its battlefield posture or missile strike tempo as Abu Dhabi approaches. Concrete leaks about draft security arrangements, or any public dispute over who should attend and what borders they are prepared to discuss, will show whether this diplomatic opening has real depth or is another round of positioning.