Washington: US to Mediate Russia-Ukraine Negotiations in Abu Dhabi

The United States announced that it will mediate expert-level negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, scheduled for November 10–11 in the UAE capital, Abu Dhabi. This was stated in a post by Steve Witkoff, the U.S. President’s special envoy, on the American social media platform X, on Monday evening. Witkoff clarified that the talks will focus on post-war security arrangements, de-escalation, humanitarian efforts, and next steps toward achieving peace. He added that American negotiators will meet this week in Brussels, the Belgian capital, with representatives from France, Germany, Britain, the European Union, and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine, the post-war European security architecture, and economic opportunities supporting Ukraine’s reconstruction. Since February 24, 2022, Russia has been waging a military offensive against Ukraine, insisting on Kyiv’s abandonment of its pursuit of membership in Western military blocs as a condition for ending the conflict—a demand Ukraine considers interference in its internal affairs.