Diplomacy is back, at least for two days. On Wednesday 11 November, delegations from Moscow and Kyiv began their second day of talks in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, with Washington acting as mediator. The stated goal is to find a way out of the war triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine nearly five years ago. It is the first time the two sides have sat around the same table since their meeting in Geneva in February.
On the American side, the negotiations are being led by Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law, and special envoy Steve Witkoff. The Ukrainian delegation is headed by Rustem Umerov. « We are starting the second day of negotiations, » he announced on social media, adding that the day would open with a trilateral format involving Moscow and Washington, before his team met European officials.
The first day, on Tuesday, lasted nearly four hours. Volodymyr Zelensky described it as constructive and fairly substantive. According to the Ukrainian president, discussions focused mainly on humanitarian matters: prisoner exchanges, the return of detained Ukrainian civilians and of children taken out of Ukraine. Security guarantees were also on the table. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio praised a very productive meeting, while warning that a breakthrough would take time.
The Gordian knot of territory remains. Russia controls about a fifth of Ukrainian land, and the long-term fate of the eastern regions is still the main sticking point. In previous rounds, Moscow demanded that Ukrainian forces withdraw from the whole of the Donbas, which Kyiv rejects, preferring to freeze the conflict along the current front lines. So far, neither side has shown any willingness to give ground on its demands.
The European question adds another layer of complexity. Representatives of European governments, the European Union and NATO are in Abu Dhabi to consult with the Ukrainian delegation. The Kremlin, which does not want Europeans involved in the direct talks, said its delegation had had no contact with them and that none was planned.
The context has shifted considerably since last winter. In the United States, the Trump administration must now reckon with the Democrats, who are expected to take control of Congress in January after the midterm elections and could push for more support for Kyiv. Russia’s war economy is under heavy strain, while Ukraine is reeling from devastating attacks on its power grid.
On the ground, the guns did not fall silent during the talks. Overnight, Russian strikes on the Zaporizhzhia region and the city of Kharkiv wounded seven civilians. Moscow, for its part, said it had shot down 627 Ukrainian drones, 150 of them over the St Petersburg region, and a fire broke out at the Ust-Luga oil port, injuring three workers.
This second day is the last one scheduled. While a decisive breakthrough looks unlikely, Washington says it is determined to revive a peace process that has stalled for months. The coming hours will show whether Abu Dhabi produces concrete gestures, such as a new prisoner exchange, or simply a date for the next round.