Ukraine talks held in Abu Dhabi, reportedly with Russian and US delegations

Talks on Ukraine took place in Abu Dhabi, according to reports by Al Jazeera and TASS. This is the only point both outlets support. The TASS report consists of a headline only.

According to Al Jazeera, the talks were trilateral, involving Ukraine, Russia and the United States, and were held this week (the week ending 14 November 2026). Al Jazeera does not give exact dates, duration or format. Most details below come from a single Al Jazeera article.

According to Al Jazeera, David Arakhamia, who leads President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's parliamentary faction, was one of Ukraine's negotiators. Jared Kushner acted as a US negotiator. Vladimir Medinsky, an aide to President Vladimir Putin, took part in or commented on the talks for Russia. The report does not make his exact role clear.

What each side says

Al Jazeera paraphrases these statements and does not quote them directly. The reports do not say where or how they were made.

• Arakhamia called the negotiations among the most difficult he had taken part in since 2022. He said the Russian delegation arrived with very strict instructions. He also said there was momentum towards a solution before the end of the year.
• Medinsky said the talks brought Russia and Ukraine closer to peace. He said Europe's post-war security architecture was the central issue.
• Kushner said territory was the hardest point. According to Al Jazeera, he was the first to raise Europe's post-war security architecture.
• The Kremlin seeks a neutral, demilitarised Ukraine that respects the rights of its Russian-speaking population, according to Al Jazeera. Russia has long said Ukrainian forces should withdraw from the remaining part of the Donetsk region.

Context

According to Al Jazeera, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store held a lengthy phone call with Putin on 27 October 2026. Parts of the EU leadership gave discreet consent to the call. The wording does not make clear whether Finnish President Alexander Stubb also took part.

Al Jazeera reports that Russian strikes on energy infrastructure have disrupted electricity and central heating in Ukraine. The reports do not include independent data on the scale of the damage. According to Al Jazeera, Zelenskyy said in Copenhagen earlier this week that he regretted Putin was still alive.

In September 2026, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said Russia was not doing well in Ukraine, according to Al Jazeera. The outlet quoted Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda as saying that "in all but name, Russia has already lost the war".

What is not known

Beyond the remarks Al Jazeera attributes to negotiators and to Putin's aide Medinsky, the reports reviewed by Vocemundi do not include any formal statement from the Ukrainian, Russian, US or Emirati governments. They describe no agreements, documents or next steps. They do not say whether further rounds are planned. The Al Jazeera text is cut off mid-sentence, so some US and Ukrainian positions may be missing.

Analysis

The negotiators' reported remarks point to different priorities. Kushner reportedly named territory as the hardest issue. Medinsky reportedly put European security arrangements at the centre. Arakhamia's mention of momentum before the end of the year suggests some expectation of progress, but none of the reports reviewed describes a concrete outcome. One possibility is further rounds that focus on territory and security guarantees. Another is that the gaps in positions slow the process. Because almost all details come from one Al Jazeera article, and official-side remarks reach these reports only as Al Jazeera's paraphrases of negotiators and Putin's aide Medinsky, conclusions about the direction of the talks remain tentative.

Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.