Witkoff reveals location, date for new trilateral peace deal negotiations
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U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff announced on Nov. 3 that new rounds of trilateral peace negotiations between Russia, Ukraine, and the U.S. will be held on Nov. 10-11 in Abu Dhabi.
"Discussions will focus on post-war security arrangements, de-escalation, humanitarian efforts, and next steps toward peace," Witkoff wrote on X.
For weeks, Ukrainian, American, and Russian officials have been working to establish new rounds of peace talks.
President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin both expressed willingness to hold negotiations after meeting with Witkoff in Oslo, Norway, and St. Petersburg, respectively, in October.
"We look forward to building on the progress made in Kyiv, Oslo, and St. Petersburg toward a comprehensive, durable peace agreement that delivers lasting security for generations to come," Witkoff said.
According to Zelensky, one or two rounds of technical talks could pave the way for a trilateral summit involving himself, U.S. President Donald Trump, and Putin. Zelensky and Putin have not held direct talks since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The agenda of the technical negotiations would concern a potential energy and maritime ceasefire, exchanges of military and civilian captives, and the return of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia.
The Kremlin has repeatedly rejected a ceasefire and demanded that Kyiv surrender the parts of Ukrainian Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts that Russian forces have failed to capture. The strategically important regions in eastern Ukraine remain central to the negotiations.
Ukraine, by contrast, has called for a ceasefire along the current front line.
Zelensky has also stressed the need for robust security guarantees for Ukraine in any deal aimed at ending the war.
"Our security guarantees are our guarantees, and they cannot be dictated by the Russian side," Zelensky said on Oct. 25. "Restrictions on our army and Ukraine's neutrality are not up for discussion."
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed uncertainty about whether a negotiated peace deal between Ukraine and Russia is possible, speaking at a G20 foreign ministers meeting on Oct. 31.
"I don't know if negotiated peace is achievable in Ukraine; that's what we're trying to find out," Rubio told reporters at a press conference.
"I don't think anyone here is claiming that we're on the verge of a negotiated settlement," he added.
