Russia, Ukraine and U.S. hold talks in Abu Dhabi on security framework and war settlement
Delegations from Russia, Ukraine and the United States are in Abu Dhabi for a two‑day round of talks on a new continental security framework and options for settling the war in Ukraine, as the conflict enters its fifth year.
While fighting continues along the front, senior officials from Russia, Ukraine and the United States have gathered in Abu Dhabi for a two‑day round of talks on the broader security order and the future of the war in Ukraine.
The second and final day of trilateral talks began on 11 November at the Qasr Al Watan presidential palace, after nearly four hours of discussions on day one, according to a summary from Russian outlet Sputnik. The agenda, as described in that account, focuses on a new “continental security framework” and on ways to settle the conflict in Ukraine, which has now lasted more than four and a half years since Russia’s full‑scale invasion.
The delegations are led by senior envoys. Russia’s team is headed by a presidential appointee, whose name was not included in the shorter dispatch. Ukraine and the United States have each sent representatives mandated to explore potential ground for future talks. Speaking separately, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he was “very happy” with the messages he was receiving from U.S. envoys on diplomatic efforts, indicating some perceived alignment between Kyiv and Washington on possible terms for a resolution.
For Ukrainians under bombardment and for troops along the line of contact, these closed‑door meetings are distant from the daily realities of outages and frontline combat. The stakes, however, are concrete: any change in negotiating positions could shape how long the war lasts, what demands are placed on conscripts, and when displaced families might be able to return to damaged or occupied areas.
So far, there is no sign that the Abu Dhabi talks have produced a ceasefire or a halt to offensive operations. Russian forces continue to strike Ukrainian infrastructure, while Ukraine conducts long‑range drone attacks inside Russia, including on the Ust‑Luga port in Leningrad Oblast. The meetings instead appear aimed at testing whether some security framework could eventually give all sides enough assurance to accept limits on future deployments and on certain weapons.
Strategically, even modest progress in this format would be notable. A trilateral setting acknowledges that the war’s outcome is not just a matter between Moscow and Kyiv. It places the United States directly in the room as a central actor in whatever security arrangements might emerge, while giving Russia an opportunity to restate its long‑running objections to military structures and weapons near its borders. For Ukraine, it is a chance to press for guarantees that go beyond past paper assurances.
Earlier efforts to stabilize the situation around Ukraine, from the Minsk accords to grain export deals, have proved fragile. The Abu Dhabi talks take place against a more entrenched backdrop, with large‑scale destruction on the ground, allegations of war crimes, and heavily fortified lines. That makes a sweeping breakthrough unlikely, but also heightens the need for some political track to reduce the risk of further spillover or escalation.
Signals that these discussions are gaining substance would include announcements of working groups, reference to specific topics such as missile deployments or demilitarized zones, and coordinated readouts from all three delegations rather than one‑sided statements. Any noticeable change in the pace or location of offensive operations—for example, pauses around sensitive sites—would be another sign that ideas aired in Abu Dhabi are beginning to influence decisions at the front.
Sources
- OSINT