Us To Mediate New Round Of Negotiations To End Russia-ukraine War

U.S. mediators will sit down with representatives of Ukraine and Russia next week in another attempt to end a war President Donald Trump has repeatedly pledged to settle.

The talks, the first face-to-face negotiations since February, will be held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff said Monday.

Witkoff said on social media that the focus of the Nov. 10-11 negotiations would include post-war security arrangements, humanitarian efforts and next steps toward peace.

“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.

U.S. negotiators will meet this week in Brussels with representatives from France, Germany, Britain, the European Union and ⁠NATO to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine, economic support for reconstruction, and other matters, he said.

The announcement of the new round of talks comes two weeks after Witkoff met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Oslo and Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg.

Witkoff drew widespread criticism for calling Putin a “humanitarian” at their meeting in St. Petersburg.

Zelenskyy has said the agenda for Abu Dhabi should include initial steps toward de-escalation, such as prisoner swaps and ceasefires on energy infrastructure.

Trump has recently pivoted toward improving relations with Putin, cutting a deal to purchase oil from Russia and criticizing Ukraine for attacking Russian refineries. Zelenskyy said the U.S. had temporarily cut access to crucial intelligence and technologies, including the Starshield satellite system.