The United States announced this Monday that it will assume a mediating role in "technical-level negotiations" between Ukraine and Russia that will take place in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), next Tuesday 10 and Wednesday 11 November. These meetings will focus mainly on de-escalation of the conflict, the coordination of humanitarian efforts and the design of a possible security framework after the war.
The special envoy of the American president, Steve Witkoff, detailed in a post on social media that "the United States will mediate in the technical-level negotiations between Ukraine and Russia on 10 and 11 November in Abu Dhabi, thus advancing the mission of President (of the United States, Donald) Trump to end the war", and specified that these talks "will focus on post-war security arrangements, de-escalation, humanitarian initiatives and the next steps toward peace".
Witkoff added that, before these appointments in Abu Dhabi, this same week an American delegation will travel to Brussels to hold meetings with representatives of France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the European Union and NATO, in order to "discuss security guarantees for Ukraine, the European security architecture after the war and economic opportunities to support the reconstruction of Ukraine".
In this context, the special envoy stressed that "we hope to be able to build on the progress achieved in Kyiv, Oslo and Saint Petersburg to reach a comprehensive and lasting peace agreement that guarantees lasting security for generations to come".
The announcement comes after the resumption of attacks following the end of the humanitarian ceasefire agreed in the town of Oleshki, in the Ukrainian region of Kherson —limited to that area and not extendable to the rest of the territory—, which had come into force on 27 October. This period of calm, considered the longest truce achieved by both sides since the start of the war in 2022, allowed Moscow to indicate that work was already underway to ensure the continuity of humanitarian missions and stabilize the regular supply of aid.
In parallel, the efforts to seek a negotiated solution to the conflict will continue to develop in the technical sphere, despite the fact that the president of Ukraine, Volodimir Zelenski, reiterated this Sunday his willingness to hold a direct meeting with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin. Zelenski defended this option by pointing out that "technical teams may have problems achieving results", unlike the two leaders, as long as both demonstrate "will".