Peace settlement talks regarding the war in Ukraine are scheduled to take place in the first half of November in Abu Dhabi in a trilateral format involving representatives of Ukraine, Russia, and the United States. This was announced by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who emphasized that a comprehensive settlement is impossible without discussing the security issues of both countries.
Context and Preparation for the Abu Dhabi Meeting
The upcoming summit in Abu Dhabi was preceded by a series of intensive high-level diplomatic contacts. Specifically, on October 20, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met in Oslo with U.S. President's Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, as well as Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Finnish President Alexander Stubb. The very next day, the American envoy traveled to St. Petersburg for talks with the Russian leadership.
During his visit to Russia, Steve Witkoff delivered documents containing proposals on approaches to ending the war. Following these consultations, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov stated that the situation was allegedly moving toward the end of the conflict. According to Axios, it was after these diplomatic maneuvers in Oslo and St. Petersburg that Moscow and Kyiv agreed to resume the trilateral format mediated by Washington.
Brussels' Position and European Participation
Commenting on a possible expansion of participants, Dmitry Peskov noted that the expediency of the European Union's special envoy attending the November talks will depend on the position taken by Brussels. At the same time, the Ukrainian side has expressed interest in having European partners participate in the negotiation process alongside the United States.
The diplomatic efforts of Western countries are also focused on swiftly achieving results. According to Western media reports, the American side aims to sign a peace agreement between the warring nations during the upcoming G20 summit scheduled for December in Florida. Nonetheless, analysts warn of potential severe political pressure on Kyiv during these discussions.
Kyiv's Expectations and Prospects for an Energy Truce
The Ukrainian side remains restrained in assessing the prospects of concluding comprehensive agreements at this stage. According to sources, Kyiv considers it unlikely that an energy truce agreement will be reached as a result of the upcoming contacts in Abu Dhabi. Ukrainian diplomats view the very resumption of negotiations at the delegation level and potential agreement on de-escalation measures as the main success of the current phase.
It is expected that on the political track, the main outcome prior to the U.S. midterm congressional elections on November 3 will be the mere resumption of dialogue. Meanwhile, participants in the humanitarian sphere expect concrete positive results much earlier than in other areas.
Significance of the Upcoming Talks
The resumption of the trilateral format in Abu Dhabi represents a key step toward a potential peaceful settlement of the conflict ahead of major political events in the U.S. and international summits. How effective the November consultations will prove to be depends largely on the parties' willingness to compromise on security issues and the severity of foreign policy pressure. The meeting in the UAE could set the tone for all subsequent diplomatic dynamics in late 2026.
