The second round of trilateral negotiations between Ukraine, the United States and Russia aimed at ending the war concluded in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, Nov. 11. "The second day of negotiations between the Russian Federation, the United States and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi is over," Russia's state news agency TASS wrote in a Telegram post at 12:19 p.m.
The talks lasted just under two hours behind closed doors, without media access. TASS reported at 10:40 a.m. that the talks had begun. A prisoner exchange is expected to be one of the outcomes of the negotiations, the agency's source said. Ukrainian media, citing sources, reported that the agenda for the second day included a possible ceasefire, energy issues and security in the Black Sea.
The first day of negotiations took place on Tuesday, Nov. 10, and lasted approximately 4.5 hours. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the talks as constructive and substantive, while acknowledging the difficulty of reaching agreements with Russia, and called Wednesday the most crucial day for negotiations. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who did not attend, also called the discussions productive but cautioned that much work remained.
No ceasefire was announced. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov underlined Moscow's preference for negotiating a broad European security framework before tackling the specifics of the war. Neither side announced a date for a third round of talks, though both sides indicated willingness to continue technical humanitarian discussions.
Zelenskyy said the proposals under consideration included exchanges of 1,000 prisoners for 1,000, or 1,500 for 1,500. The Russian delegation also raised the issue of territory, which Zelenskyy said should be addressed directly by the leaders, as well as Moscow's proposals for restructuring Europe's security architecture — demands first presented to then-President Joe Biden in December 2021, including an end to NATO expansion and a reduction in the Alliance's military presence in countries that joined after 1997.
After the trilateral session, the Ukrainian team held a separate meeting with European partners, delegation chief Rustem Umerov said on Telegram. Before Tuesday's session, the Ukrainian delegation had held separate consultations with the U.S., the EU, NATO and the E4 group — the UK, France, Germany and Italy — to coordinate positions. Whether European representatives will take part directly in negotiations with Moscow remains unresolved; Zelenskyy said Europe must decide by the end of November who will represent it, and expressed hope the decision could be reached at a Nov. 19 meeting of the coalition of the willing in Germany. Moscow opposes the EU's direct involvement.
U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who are mediating the talks, could travel to Moscow and then Kyiv following the Abu Dhabi meetings, according to Western media citing sources. Kushner said on Tuesday that the United States had "narrowed the gaps" between the warring sides and hoped to move towards a "solution", while adding that Washington was "working to end this devastating war and establish the security arrangements necessary for a sovereign, secure, and prosperous Ukraine and lasting peace across Europe."
