Russia confirms Abu Dhabi Ukraine peace talks as Melania Trump plans Kherson ceasefire meeting
Russia confirmed on Tuesday that peace talks with Ukraine and the United States will proceed next week in Abu Dhabi, with Putin aide Vladimir Medinsky as Moscow’s chief negotiator at the Nov. 10–11 meetings, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, according to Reuters. The confirmation followed U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff’s statement late Monday that Washington will mediate talks focused on security arrangements, de-escalation and humanitarian issues. Witkoff also said U.S. negotiators will meet European and NATO officials in Brussels this week on post-war security guarantees and Ukraine’s reconstruction.
Peskov said the Kremlin hopes to finalize plans in coming days for a trilateral meeting of Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump and Xi Jinping. Earlier reports had described such talks as a path to ending the war without Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Zelenskyy has insisted Kyiv must take part: on Oct. 20 he said negotiations over Ukraine’s future can be acceptable “only when we are at the table,” adding “Nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine.”
Separately, the White House said First Lady Melania Trump will bring Russian and Ukrainian representatives to the White House on Thursday to discuss a local ceasefire in Kherson. She will speak on the Oleshky ceasefire at 11 a.m. ET; the White House called the summit “an extraordinary moment in American history” but did not name attendees. A six-day pause in Russian-occupied Oleshky and surrounding Kherson areas, which the White House said she brokered to allow evacuations, ended Monday. Ukraine accused Russia of using the pause to reinforce positions. Strikes on civilian and energy targets have continued, and October moves by the Trump administration raised questions about Washington’s reliability as Kyiv’s most important military partner.
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