US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the first day of Russia-Ukraine-US talks in Abu Dhabi as "very productive" but warned that no deal will emerge within 24 hours. The delegations met for about four hours with a short break before pausing, and they are scheduled to resume on November 11. This session follows a February round in Geneva that ended without concrete progress, leaving the parties still far apart on territory and security guarantees. Moscow sent a more senior delegation than in earlier rounds but continues to reject any foreign troops on Ukrainian soil, while Kyiv submitted its own peace proposals to Washington before the meeting began.
Substantive Discussions and European Friction
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called the format constructive, noting that the day started with a meeting between the Ukrainian team and its European and US partners before the three delegations sat down together. He stated that representatives discussed "possible parameters for humanitarian steps," identifying the release of prisoners as a priority. They also spoke in detail about the substance of security guarantees for Ukraine and the foundations for ensuring these guarantees function over the long term, requiring real tools to block any recurrence of the war.
The gap on territory has not narrowed in public, creating significant friction regarding Europe’s role in the process. Rubio said the US wants to widen the trilateral format so that European countries are "represented at that table directly," adding that representatives of five EU countries were in Abu Dhabi and in contact with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. However, Moscow wants them kept out, with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov telling reporters that Europeans who flew to Abu Dhabi should "stay in the hotel there." Lavrov argued that European countries are pushing for a ceasefire to give Kyiv time to rebuild its military, a scenario Russia considers unacceptable, while Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called the European presence a promotional stunt.
Delegation Composition and Sticking Points
The 11-member Russian delegation is led by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky and includes Deputy Foreign Ministers Sergei Ryabkov and Mikhail Galuzin along with General Staff officers such as military intelligence chief Igor Kostyukov. Ukraine’s team is led by Rustem Umerov, head of the Foreign Intelligence Service, with presidential chief of staff Kyrylo Budanov and his first deputy Serhiy Kyslytsya. Witkoff and Kushner represent the US, and NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe, General Alexus Grynkewich, and UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan were at the table when the talks opened.
President Donald Trump said on the eve of the talks that Ukraine would emerge from the war with a "somewhat different shape," while Putin’s demands extend beyond the Donbas according to people involved in unofficial efforts to end the war. The Kremlin has demanded a ban on Ukraine’s NATO membership, limits on its military, and the lifting of restrictions on the official use of the Russian language and on the Moscow-linked Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Kyiv has rejected withdrawing from the territory it currently holds or formally recognizing Russian occupation, arguing that any settlement must prevent Russia from launching another invasion. Instead, Ukraine has called for an unconditional ceasefire as the first step toward broader peace talks, a proposal that the Kremlin repeatedly dismissed.
Zelensky stressed the need for postwar security guarantees, including continued Western support for Ukraine’s military and the deployment of a European-led reassurance force in Ukraine. He also noted that Russia is raising the issue of its own "security guarantees," likely meaning demands for a rollback of NATO’s military presence in Eastern and Central Europe. Witkoff and Kushner may travel on to Kyiv and Moscow once the Abu Dhabi round ends, according to reports, while the Russian side made no statement after the session and will brief journalists on November 11.
