Kremlin confirms Russia and Ukraine will meet in Abu Dhabi next week for the first US-brokered peace talks since February
From the Newshound archive · first published 3 November 2026.
Steve Witkoff, Trump's Middle East envoy, pictured with Vladimir Putin in October, as Ukraine's return to trilateral talks marks a significant development after months of deadlock over Kyiv's core sovereignty demands.
Steve Witkoff will lead the US delegation when delegations from all three countries gather in Abu Dhabi on November 10 and 11, marking the first trilateral talks since February, before Washington pivoted to its war against Iran. The Ukrainian president flew to Berlin on Tuesday, where Chancellor Friedrich Merz promised the visit would be "a bit different" from the Ukrainian leader's bruising Oval Office encounter with Trump earlier this year.
Germany has become Ukraine's biggest backer since Trump cut US financial support, though Washington still supplies intelligence and permits allies to buy US weapons for Kyiv.
