The Kremlin confirmed on Tuesday (November 3, 2026) that U.S.-mediated Russia-Ukraine talks to end more than four years of war will take place in Abu Dhabi next week.
U.S. Mr. Witkoff met with both Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky last month, with all sides announcing three-way talks will resume in November, as Washington pushes an end to the dragging Ukraine-Russia war. The Russian delegation will be led by Putin aide Vladimir Medinsky, who took part in previous negotiations that failed to reach a breakthrough. Mr. Mr. Medinsky, who was born in Ukraine, has co-authored Russian history school textbooks praising Moscow’s role in Ukraine.
President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff earlier announced the meeting will take place on November 10-11. Medinsky, who is 56 and previously served as culture minister, is known for his nationalistic views on Russian history. He took part in failed 2022 talks between Russia and Ukraine at the start of the war, also leading the Russian delegation in Istanbul last year and in Geneva earlier this year.
“The Russian delegation will arrive on November 10-11 in Abu Dhabi to take part in trilateral talks,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, including AFP .
