The United States sees a "real chance" for serious progress toward ending Russia’s war in Ukraine at talks between Washington, Kyiv, and Moscow that began in Abu Dhabi early on November 10. U.S. senior officials told reporters about this, "citing signs of growing readiness on both sides to reach a settlement," UNN writes, citing RFE/RL.
Details
But this optimism contrasts with skepticism among European officials and Russia analysts, who see little evidence that Moscow is ready to make concessions on territory or Ukraine’s future security, the publication notes.
"U.S. President Donald Trump remains committed to ending the conflict and has instructed his representatives to pursue lasting peace, rather than a quick but fragile deal," according to officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Talks with Russian and Ukrainian representatives have intensified in recent months; contacts are now taking place daily, sometimes several times a day, officials said.
We now have a chance to try to make serious progress toward ending the war
The meetings in Abu Dhabi "are intended to clarify both sides’ positions and identify the remaining differences." However, officials caution that they "do not expect a final settlement to result from the two-day meetings."
Ukraine’s chief negotiator, Rustem Umerov, said that the ultimate goal of the talks should be to achieve lasting peace. Russian negotiator Vladimir Medinsky said that Moscow believes ending the war would be in the interests of both countries, the publication writes.
Focus on lasting peace
U.S. officials said that "the main task is to convince both sides that a ceasefire will not simply give the other side an opportunity to rearm and prepare for a new conflict, although Ukraine has called for a truce and Russia has rejected the idea." The officials added that "Washington is examining measures such as security consultations, crisis communications, military transparency, and mutual de-escalation."
The broader postwar framework will be aimed at addressing the concerns of Russia, Ukraine, and European countries while preserving national sovereignty and independent decision-making, officials said. They argued that NATO would remain a central element of Europe’s collective defense.
U.S. officials said that "Washington asked Moscow to accept security guarantees for Ukraine modeled on Articles 4 and 5 of NATO, which provide for consultations when an ally faces a threat and collective defense in the event of an armed attack."
Any U.S. guarantees would ultimately depend on Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, one official said. However, Trump wants Europe to assume the financial burden of Ukraine’s security, the publication writes.
Territorial issues, including the future of Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, will be another central issue, the publication points out.
Both sides have "demonstrated some flexibility" privately, U.S. officials said, without providing details.
Officials emphasized that territorial arrangements and postwar security guarantees must be negotiated in parallel and coordinated together.
Meanwhile, Bloomberg notes that Russian and Ukrainian envoys "will discuss territorial issues and proposals for monitoring a ceasefire in the United Arab Emirates," a senior U.S. official said on Monday, November 9.
The first session, according to Bloomberg, "will focus on ceasefire monitoring and postwar security, including security consultation mechanisms, crisis communications, and de-escalation measures." The second session "will address territorial issues."
The U.S. official, who briefed reporters on Monday on condition of anonymity, said, as Bloomberg writes, that "daily talks had taken place with both Russia and Ukraine ahead of the trilateral meeting, and expressed cautious optimism that the representatives would make progress."
The American negotiators believe that "Zelenskyy and Putin may be ready to reach a compromise on the vital issue of territory, with each giving up a little," a U.S. official told Reuters.
According to the proposed agreement, as Reuters notes, "Ukraine will receive an end to the war, security guarantees, and a roadmap for joining the EU."
A senior Ukrainian official, Reuters reports, "firmly denied that the government would consider any such concessions." "The issue of territory can be discussed only at the leaders' level and only in the context of appropriate security guarantees for Ukraine," the official said.
European partners are also taking part in the meetings in Abu Dhabi, reflecting Washington's desire to move beyond a trilateral format toward broader negotiations, RFE/RL reports.
European involvement
Germany, France, and the United Kingdom—the so-called E3—are participating, along with Italy, NATO, the European Union, and Ukraine. However, their initial consultations with U.S. representatives will be separate from the trilateral talks with Russia.
European representatives were expected to discuss security guarantees and the long-term security architecture between Russia and Europe.
The broader proposal has raised concerns in European capitals that Moscow could gain influence over the continent's security mechanisms, potentially undermining NATO and the sovereignty of countries that were once under Soviet rule.
"We already have a European security architecture," EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on November 6, emphasizing that any agreement would require the EU's participation.
However, Russia remains deeply distrustful of European governments, which it accuses of derailing a previous agreement reached in Istanbul, officials said. However, the 2022 talks did not in fact result in a final agreement, and significant differences remain over Ukraine's security and sovereignty, the publication writes.
U.S. officials said that "Washington had told Moscow that it remains closely connected with the European Union, NATO, and its European partners, while asserting that Europe's participation would be constructive rather than an obstacle to an agreement."
"We really need Europe at the negotiating table" to bring the war to an end, one official said.
Officials said that coordination with Ukraine and European governments had intensified over the past six weeks, including discussions in Brussels on postwar security and Ukraine's economic recovery.
They described the cooperation as close and constructive, rejecting the narrative of growing divisions between Washington and its European allies.
A separate line of work, partly led by the World Bank, is examining the reforms Ukraine will need to build a viable postwar economy. The discussions include the country's military needs, financing needs, economic reconstruction, and longstanding problems with corruption.
Asked whether Russia was showing flexibility, U.S. officials said that Moscow had sent positive signals about its desire to end the war, particularly in discussions about the postwar security system.
But analysts warn that Moscow may be using the negotiations to buy time while maintaining its territorial demands and military pressure on Ukraine, the publication reports.
Kallas was equally skeptical, saying on November 9 that Russia was "pretending to negotiate" and had shown no goodwill.
Officials referred to previous conversations with Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg, where the idea of creating a security architecture between Russia and the West was discussed.
"This is the first time I feel that we are seeing a genuine desire on the Russian side to end the war," one official said.
Nevertheless, Moscow continues to reject an unconditional ceasefire and insists that Ukraine give up the remainder of the territory it controls in Donetsk, the publication writes.
The proposed framework could also include sanctions relief as an incentive for Moscow to adhere to a future agreement. Sanctions could be eased gradually, with provisions allowing them to be reimposed if Russia violates the agreement, the official said.
U.S. officials said they want to move quickly, citing the rising number of military and civilian casualties from the war, but cautioned that achieving a durable agreement will require difficult compromises.
According to them, further meetings with Putin and Zelenskyy could take place soon, depending on the outcome of the talks in Abu Dhabi.
The officials also pointed to humanitarian efforts, including a recent six-day ceasefire in Oleshky, Kherson region, which they said allowed civilians to be evacuated and humanitarian aid to be delivered.
Washington will continue working on prisoner exchanges and other humanitarian issues, they said.
The diplomatic efforts are taking place against the backdrop of growing civilian suffering in Ukraine, as Russian attacks on energy infrastructure threaten millions of people with prolonged power and water outages as winter approaches.
At a November 9 meeting of the U.N. Security Council, representatives of humanitarian organizations warned of deteriorating conditions, while U.N. Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Mohamed Yahya cautioned that emergency aid "cannot replace an electricity grid that is repeatedly destroyed by attacks."
"For Washington, the immediate task in Abu Dhabi is to turn recently intensified diplomatic contacts into a structured negotiating process capable of resolving the territorial dispute and creating the conditions for lasting peace," the publication notes.
"We are trying to lay out all the reasons why this is the better scenario, make them concrete, get people to believe in it, and then build a bridge for them to get there," one of the officials said.