US envoy Steve Witkoff says delegations from Ukraine and Russia will meet in Abu Dhabi next week to discuss ending the war, with trilateral talks involving the US, Russia and China also under consideration.
MoneyTurkey Politics Desk | 3 November 2026
Key points
- US envoy Steve Witkoff announced that delegations from Ukraine and Russia will meet in Abu Dhabi on November 10 and 11 to discuss post-war security agreements, de-escalation, humanitarian measures and ending the war.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to the new round of three-way talks after meeting Witkoff in St Petersburg on October 21, according to Reuters.
US special envoy Steve Witkoff said the United States will bring together delegations from Ukraine and Russia in Abu Dhabi next week for talks on ending Moscow’s war against Ukraine. The discussions will cover post-war security agreements, de-escalation, humanitarian measures and ending the war. Witkoff and Jared Kushner are expected to represent the US at the talks, Reuters quoted a senior US official as saying. Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to the new round of trilateral talks after meeting Witkoff in St Petersburg two weeks ago.
What happened
Witkoff said in a social media post that US negotiators would meet this week in Brussels with representatives from the UK, France, Germany, the EU and Nato to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine, Europe’s postwar security architecture and economic opportunities to support Ukraine’s reconstruction. Ukraine and Russia remain far apart on the terms of any possible peace deal. The last US-mediated trilateral peace talks took place in February before the US and Israel launched a war against Iran.
Russia launched a huge overnight strike on Ukrainian energy facilities in the Vinnytsia, Dnipropetrovsk and Kharkiv regions, the Interfax news agency said on Tuesday, citing the Russian defence ministry. Moscow’s forces also hit port infrastructure in the Odesa region and vessels used for military purposes, it said. In the Russian city of Yaroslavl, an oil refinery was damaged in a Ukrainian drone attack, local governor Mikhail Evrayev said. Two employees were injured and emergency services were working to put out a fire at the site, he added. The reports could not immediately be verified.
On Monday, Russian forces bombed a school used as an aid distribution point in a village in Ukraine’s south-eastern Zaporizhzhia region, killing 26 people, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the country’s emergency services said. “The Russians struck first just as people were arriving – a few aerial bombs,” the Ukrainian president said. “Then there was a second strike – more air bombs, this time on the shelter. A vile terrorist strike.” About 2,800 troops from 10 European countries will this month stage in Poland the first exercise of a new multinational force in support of Ukraine, London and Paris said on Tuesday.
What is at stake for markets
The talks come as US negotiators seek a breakthrough before winter in the war, now in its fifth year. The last US-mediated talks were held in February, before the US and Israel launched their war on Iran. Ukraine’s foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, cited Monday’s attack in urging countries to oppose Russia’s return to elite international forums.
Zelenskyy said Ukrainian intelligence had warned that Russia was preparing a new “massive attack” on the country’s energy and logistics networks, timed to coincide with the US midterm elections on Tuesday. Writing on X, he said Moscow was counting on the world’s attention being elsewhere, allowing Ukraine’s struggles with air defences and Patriot missiles to go unnoticed. He urged Washington to pressure Russia “in such a way that it has no alternative but to end this war”.
Why it matters
Hours after the attack, US special envoy Steve Witkoff said that delegations from Ukraine and Russia would meet in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, on November 10 and 11. In a social media post, Witkoff said the talks would address “post-war security agreements, de-escalation, humanitarian measures, and ending the war”. Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to the new round of three-way talks after meeting Witkoff in St Petersburg on October 21.
About 2,800 troops from 10 European countries will this month stage in Poland the first exercise of a new multinational force in support of Ukraine, London and Paris said on Tuesday. Led by France and the UK, the “Multinational Force – Ukraine” (MNF-U) has no offensive mission and is only to be deployed once a ceasefire is agreed to end the war triggered by Russia’s 2022 invasion. “The exercise will allow the testing of the speed and efficiency at which several nations can deploy forces on land, sea and air to support Ukraine once hostilities have finished,” the joint statement released by the French defence ministry said.
What to watch
- Outcome of US-mediated talks in Abu Dhabi on November 10-11
- European troop exercise in Poland this month
- Further strikes on Ukrainian energy and logistics networks
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For information only. Not investment advice.
Sources
- FT: https://www.ft.com/content/73c1d1cc-6bb2-43a6-8532-7823e5c1a40b?syn-25a6b1a6=1
- Politico: https://www.politico.com/news/2026/11/02/us-negotiations-end-russia-ukraine-war-01145902
- Axios: https://www.axios.com/2026/11/03/us-russia-ukraine-peace-talks-uae-trump-witkoff-kushner
- Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/nov/03/ukraine-war-briefing-us-to-mediate-talks-with-kyiv-and-moscow-in-abu-dhabi-next-week-says-witkoff
- Al Jazeera: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/11/2/russian-bombing-of-ukrainian-aid-centre-kills-24-people-zelenskyy
