Ukraine talks in Abu Dhabi: three sides plan, Europe's role unclear
Zelensky names the first half of November for talks at team level. The Kremlin also holds out the prospect of a trilateral format. No summit and no binding security guarantees have been agreed.
For the first half of November 2026, a new round of talks between Ukraine, Russia and the United States in Abu Dhabi is taking shape. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on 23 October at a video-linked event hosted by the Hudson Institute, according to Reuters, that the three sides had agreed on a meeting at technical level. He said he hoped a meeting of heads of state would follow.
According to the news agency Anadolu, the Kremlin also named the first half of November and Abu Dhabi. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov explicitly described the format initially envisaged as trilateral. That is a new level of detail after the contacts in Oslo and St Petersburg. However, the verified information does not reveal a joint peace draft, a precise meeting date or confirmed heads of delegation. According to the updated Reuters report, the White House initially did not comment on the plans.
A team meeting is not yet a summit
According to Reuters, Zelensky reported on a conversation with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner following their contacts with Vladimir Putin. His expectation of a subsequent meeting of heads of state is politically significant, but it must be distinguished from the agreement on technical talks. A preparatory meeting can order open points without already deciding them at the highest level.
The time window is not a guaranteed sequence either. According to the agency report, Zelensky pointed out that a previously expected meeting had not materialised and that much depended on Russia. That is the assessment of the Ukrainian side. In any case, an announced date does not mean that negotiations will actually begin, nor that they will end with a result.
Europe's place at the table is unresolved
On the format, there is a central difference between the positions. According to Anadolu, Peskov said European participation could not in principle be ruled out. However, the first round now under discussion should consist of Russia, Ukraine and the United States. Zelensky, for his part, stressed according to Reuters that Europe must also be involved. These statements do not yet amount to a joint list of invitations.
The European position goes beyond the wish for a seat at the table. In their conclusions of 16 October, the EU heads of state and government declared that the Union would decide on matters falling within its competence or affecting its security. They reaffirmed their support for a just and lasting peace based on the UN Charter and for robust security guarantees for Ukraine.
The EU governments thus set out a substantive claim to involvement. Anyone who expects Europe to take on commitments cannot infer its consent from the participation of other actors. Conversely, a first trilateral discussion does not mean that all later consultations must necessarily be limited to the same circle. What matters is which questions are actually negotiated in which format.
Security guarantees require concrete commitments
According to the Reuters report, Zelensky demanded strong security guarantees and funding for the Ukrainian army over ten years. That is a Ukrainian demand, not pledged financing. Peskov, by contrast, according to Anadolu, put the security of Russia and Ukraine after a peace settlement at the centre. The similar terminology may therefore conceal very different expectations.
To assess an outcome, it would have to be clear who commits to what, for which period and with what consequences in the event of a violation. Likewise, a distinction would have to be made between a time-limited restriction of certain attacks, a comprehensive ceasefire and a peace treaty. In the verified announcements, none of these steps is documented as already completed.
What the Swiss experience shows
Switzerland has already provided a framework for trilateral talks. The FDFA notes that Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis received the delegations of the United States, Ukraine and Russia in Geneva on 17 February 2026 and opened the talks. Switzerland created the conditions for dialogue but was not part of the substantive negotiations.
This distinction also matters for Abu Dhabi. The venue of a meeting says nothing in itself about a mandate of the host country or the consent of other states. A Swiss place in the announced November round is not documented in the verified sources. The change of venue therefore allows no inference of a diplomatic victory or of a failure of Switzerland's good offices.
The next robust progress would be more than a new date: a confirmed composition, traceable responsibilities and verifiable commitments. Until then, Abu Dhabi is an announced negotiating step – not yet relief for the people in the war zone.
Sources
- European Council: conclusions on Ukraine of 16 October, published by the EEAS
- FDFA: Switzerland's role in the trilateral talks in Geneva
- Hudson Institute: original event with President Zelensky on 23 October
- Reuters via StreetInsider: Zelensky's announcement of 23 October
- Anadolu: Kremlin statements on the planned trilateral format
- Lead image: Tetraeder / Wikimedia Commons
- Article image: Alwaysthinkwisely / Wikimedia Commons
- Image licence: Creative Commons BY-SA 4.0
