Russia has named the delegation it will send to US-mediated peace talks with Ukraine in Abu Dhabi on 10–11 November, the Kremlin confirmed on Saturday, setting up the first three-way meeting between the two warring sides and Washington since February.
The team will be led by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, Moscow's chief negotiator in the process, and — in a notable change from earlier rounds — will include senior military intelligence and General Staff officers alongside career diplomats. The line-up suggests the discussions will go deep into the technical detail of any settlement, from ceasefire monitoring to where the lines on the map are drawn, rather than staying at the level of political statements.
US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law, are expected to represent Washington, according to Reuters, citing a source familiar with the plans. The talks, on Tuesday and Wednesday, come as the war enters its fifth year and as Washington pushes for a breakthrough before winter sets in.
Who Moscow is sending
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the Interfax news agency that the Russian delegation would be headed by Medinsky, who has led Moscow's negotiating team throughout the US-led process. The full line-up, confirmed by the Kremlin on Saturday, is:
| Name | Role | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Vladimir Medinsky | Presidential aide; chief negotiator | Led Russia's delegation in earlier rounds, including the 2022 talks in Turkey |
| Sergei Ryabkov | Deputy foreign minister | Oversees relations with the Americas, arms control and non-proliferation; joining this format for the first time |
| Mikhail Galuzin | Deputy foreign minister | A veteran of past negotiating missions |
| Igor Kostyukov | Chief of military intelligence (GRU) | Led the Russian delegation in two Abu Dhabi rounds in early 2026, focused on military logistics and prisoner exchanges |
| Yuri Zhigarlovsky | Deputy chief, Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff | The body responsible for military planning and operations |
| Yuri Ushakov | Presidential foreign-policy aide | Listed by the state news agency TASS as part of the delegation |
President Vladimir Putin met the entire delegation on Friday at a Russian Security Council meeting that was partly devoted to the talks. During the televised opening minutes, Putin thanked the United Arab Emirates for hosting the negotiations and said he wanted to discuss preparations with his team. Most of the meeting took place behind closed doors.
The presence of military officials alongside diplomats typically signals an attempt to work through the enforcement-heavy parts of a possible agreement — ceasefire monitoring, security lines, or demilitarised zones — rather than just high-level political posturing, The News noted in its report on the announcement.
What the talks will cover
Witkoff announced the meeting on Monday, saying Washington would mediate working-level negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv. In a post on X, he set out the agenda:
"Discussions will focus on post-war security arrangements, de-escalation, humanitarian efforts, and next steps toward peace."
Ahead of the Abu Dhabi meeting, US negotiators are also expected to meet representatives of France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the European Union and NATO in Brussels this week, to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine, economic support for its reconstruction, and Europe's future security framework, according to Moneycontrol.
The talks are working-level, not a leaders' summit. As Outlook India noted, the announcement of talks does not establish that a ceasefire or peace agreement is imminent — the discussions are a step in a process, not its conclusion.
Context: Three earlier rounds of trilateral negotiations took place this year — two in Abu Dhabi in January and February, and one in Geneva in February. None produced a comprehensive peace agreement, but they did facilitate progress on prisoner exchanges, according to Moneycontrol.
How the talks were revived
| Date | Development |
|---|---|
| 21 October | Putin meets Witkoff in St Petersburg; Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov says Moscow is prepared to resume trilateral talks around 10 November |
| 28 October | President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he proposed holding talks sooner but agreed to wait until voting in the US had concluded |
| 3 November | Witkoff announces the Abu Dhabi meeting; the Kremlin confirms the 10–11 November dates and Medinsky as delegation head |
| 6 November | Putin convenes the Russian Security Council with the negotiating team and thanks the UAE for hosting |
| 7 November | The Kremlin names the full delegation, including Ryabkov, Kostyukov and Zhigarlovsky |
| 10–11 November | Trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi |
The gaps that remain
Despite the renewed diplomatic push, Moscow and Kyiv remain far apart on the terms of any settlement. The main divides, as reported by Moneycontrol and Axios, are:
| Issue | Russia's position | Ukraine's position |
|---|---|---|
| Territory | Demands control over Ukrainian regions it claims to have annexed | Rejects territorial concessions; wants a halt along the current front line |
| Security guarantees | Wants Ukraine to abandon its NATO ambitions and bar foreign troops from its territory | Seeks firm, Article 5-style US commitments, backed by a vote in the US Congress |
| Ceasefire | Has resisted a ceasefire before a broader settlement is reached | Has pushed for a halt to fighting along the current front line |
| Armed forces | Has sought restrictions on Ukraine's military capabilities | Wants to retain an army of up to 800,000 personnel, depending on funding and arrangements |
Zelenskyy has said Ukraine is negotiating US security commitments modelled on NATO's Article 5, which requires allies to assist a member under attack. In an interview on 22 October, he said any American guarantees should be backed by a vote in the US Congress rather than relying solely on political assurances that could change with a new administration. Kyiv has outlined three possible security frameworks — NATO membership, bilateral US guarantees, and a European-led "coalition of the willing" backed by Washington — and has said they should complement one another, with a strong Ukrainian military at their core.
What is not settled: No ceasefire, territorial deal or security framework has been agreed. The talks are at working level, the two sides' positions on territory and guarantees remain far apart, and nothing in the announcements so far suggests a deal is imminent.
A violent backdrop
The talks were announced against a sharp escalation on the battlefield. Overnight on 6–7 November, Russia fired 36 ballistic missiles and 172 drones at Ukraine, according to the Ukrainian air force and President Zelenskyy. Only four of the 36 missiles were intercepted, and air defences downed 149 of the drones.
Several missiles hit and damaged the Northern Bridge across the Dnipro River in Kyiv, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said, and strikes on energy facilities outside the capital — including systems carrying power from the Rivne and Khmelnytsky nuclear plants — caused serious damage, Ukraine's energy ministry said. At least two people were killed and around a dozen wounded across the country, authorities said, and Kyiv faced serious disruption to electricity, water and heating as temperatures headed towards zero.
Russia's defence ministry said it had struck targets it described as part of Ukraine's military-industrial sector, as well as energy and transport infrastructure in and around Kyiv. Ukraine also carried out drone and missile attacks on several Russian regions, causing minor damage but no casualties, Russian authorities said on Saturday.
The strikes came three days before the delegations are due to sit down in Abu Dhabi — a reminder that diplomacy and the fighting are proceeding in parallel, and that neither side is pausing the war while it talks about ending it.
Frequently asked questions
When and where are the talks?
In Abu Dhabi, on Tuesday 10 and Wednesday 11 November 2026. It will be the first trilateral meeting of Russia, Ukraine and the United States since February.
Who is taking part?
Russia's delegation is led by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky and includes deputy foreign ministers Sergei Ryabkov and Mikhail Galuzin, military intelligence chief Igor Kostyukov and senior General Staff officer Yuri Zhigarlovsky. The US delegation is expected to include special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
What will they discuss?
According to Witkoff, the agenda is post-war security arrangements, de-escalation, humanitarian efforts and "next steps toward peace". The discussions are working-level, not a summit of the three countries' leaders.
Why does the delegation's make-up matter?
The inclusion of military intelligence and General Staff officers alongside diplomats suggests the talks will address the technical, enforcement-heavy questions — ceasefire monitoring, security lines and demilitarised zones — rather than only political principles.
Could the talks end the war?
Not on their own. The two sides remain far apart on territory, security guarantees and a ceasefire, and earlier rounds this year produced progress on prisoner exchanges but no comprehensive agreement. The realistic measure of success in Abu Dhabi is a further round, a joint statement, or agreement on a concrete next step.
Key takeaways
- Russia, Ukraine and the US will hold trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi on 10–11 November — the first such meeting since February.
- Moscow's delegation is led by Vladimir Medinsky and, unusually, includes military intelligence chief Igor Kostyukov and General Staff officer Yuri Zhigarlovsky alongside diplomats.
- The agenda, per US envoy Steve Witkoff, is post-war security arrangements, de-escalation, humanitarian efforts and next steps toward peace.
- The two sides remain far apart on territory, security guarantees and a ceasefire — no deal is imminent.
- The talks open days after a major Russian missile and drone attack on Kyiv damaged the Northern Bridge and the capital's power grid.
What happens next will be decided in the room in Abu Dhabi — and in the days around it. Watch for the outcome of the US envoys' Brussels meeting with European allies this week, for any joint statement when the talks close on 11 November, and above all for whether a date for a further round is set. If the delegations leave Abu Dhabi with a next meeting on the calendar, the process is alive; if they leave with only a promise to keep talking, the war's fifth winter will do the talking instead.
