Delegations from Ukraine, Russia, and the United States opened a scheduled second day of peace negotiations in Abu Dhabi on Nov. 11, 2026. The meetings represent the first joint diplomatic session among the three nations to end the war since February.
The initial session on Nov. 10 lasted about four hours following preparatory discussions led by American special envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff. Secretary of State Marco Rubio characterized the opening day as "very productive," while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the format "constructive and quite substantive." Before sitting down with Russian envoys, Ukrainian negotiators held separate consultations with American and European officials, who set working-level talks to establish a path toward peace.
Security Guarantees and Battlefield Disputes
According to Zelenskyy, the opening session addressed potential humanitarian measures, including prisoner exchanges, alongside terms for long-term security guarantees for Ukraine. Following initial consultations, the European Commission stated that any peace framework must uphold Ukrainian sovereignty, territorial integrity, and sovereign decision-making while affirming NATO's role in collective defense.
Sharp divisions over territory remain unresolved. Russia reportedly holds an estimated 80% to 85% of the Donetsk region and demands Ukraine surrender the entire Donbas, while Ukrainian leadership refuses to cede land. It is not yet known whether the delegations finalized binding agreements on prisoner releases or de-escalation.
Military operations continued alongside diplomacy. Russian strikes reportedly hit six major electricity substations across four central Ukrainian regions overnight, and falling drone debris killed two people in Russia's Smolensk region.
Lead Ukrainian negotiator Rustem Umerov confirmed that discussions on Nov. 11 begin with a trilateral session involving the United States and Russia, followed by a separate meeting between Ukrainian and European delegates. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin receives continuous briefings on the talks, adding that Russian representatives have held no contact with European envoys in Abu Dhabi.
