Steve Witkoff Says U.S. Will Mediate Russia-Ukraine Talks Next Week

President Donald Trump’s Special Envoy for Peace Missions Steve Witkoff announced on Monday evening that the United States has organized “working-level” talks between Russia and Ukraine scheduled to take place in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), between November 10 and 11. The talks would reportedly seek to find common ground to ultimately end the nearly five-year-old Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which has stagnated as Russian strongman Vladimir Putin has refused to cease attacks on civilian areas and his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, has resisted pressure to accept some land concessions in exchange for an end to hostilities. While the full-scale invasion began in February 2022, Russia first invaded Ukraine in 2014, “annexing” its Crimean peninsula during the term of former President Barack Obama. As the Obama administration took no meaningful action to condemn the invasion, Russian proxies shortly thereafter launched a regional war in the eastern Ukrainian Donbass region, which Putin also “annexed” in September 2022. “The United States will mediate working-level negotiations between Ukraine and Russia on November 10–11 in Abu Dhabi, advancing President Trump’s mission to end the war,” Witkoff announced on social media. “Discussions will focus on post-war security arrangements, de-escalation, humanitarian efforts, and next steps toward peace,” he explained. “We look forward to building on the progress made in Kyiv, Oslo, and St. Petersburg toward a comprehensive, durable peace agreement that delivers lasting security for generations to come.” Witkoff also announced that the Trump administration would be engaging in conversations with various European leaders on “security guarantees” for Ukraine. Zelensky has repeatedly insisted that any peace agreement must come with “security guarantees” – a promise that European and American powers would respond with force if Russia attempts to invade again. Ukraine once accepted such security guarantees in 1994 when it agreed, shortly after becoming a state after the collapse of the Soviet Union, to hand over its nuclear weapons arsenal. The new negotiations are expected not to attract the highest levels of the Ukrainian or Russian government, instead include a “working group” of diplomats who can exchange views and bring home a better understanding of the other side’s demands. Reuters reported shortly after Witkoff’s announcement that Witkoff himself and President Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, are expected to represent the United States at the talks, but it is currently not clear at press time who Russia or Ukraine would send for the discussions. Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed on Tuesday that Russia will be participating in the announced negotiations, but offered no other material details. The last time Putin and Zelensky met was early in the latter’s presidency, in a summit structure known as the “Normandy format” in 2019. The two met alongside then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron. Those talks were intended to address the more limited war in the Donbass region that was ongoing at the time, in addition to other bilateral grievances. Macron, Merkel, and Putin declared themselves satisfied with the outcome of the talks, while a frustrated Zelensky lamented their lack of concrete results. “Look, it’s very difficult to negotiate [with Putin], but today there were moments when we agreed on something, on certain things,” Zelensky told reporters. “That’s because he dissects every question into details … and then we begin to even consider every word. So yes, this is difficult. I’m just a different person, I’m a quick person. I thought that we could just sit down real quick and have a deal … But it’s different here, it’s different biomechanics, so to speak.” “Many questions were tackled, and my counterparts have said it is a very good result for a first meeting. But I will be honest — it is very little, I wanted to resolve a larger number of problems,” he concluded. Zelensky later insisted he would only return to such talks if “serious, powerful” countries, rather than France and Germany, organized them. Zelensky arrived in Germany on Tuesday to meet Merkel’s most recent successor, Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and negotiate more military support for Ukraine. “The key issues are our diplomatic coordination – with important meetings ahead – strengthening our air defense, and supporting our energy sector,” Zelensky explained on social media. “We all have an interest in security, stability, and protecting the rules-based international order. And we must work together to turn these principles into concrete decisions and actions.” The scheduling of new talks follows a surprise ceasefire reportedly brokered by First Lady Melania Trump in October in the city of Oleshky, Ukraine. The ceasefire allowed for civilians to escape the battlefield and for an influx of humanitarian aid and medical support to enter the city. Follow Frances Martel on Facebook and Twitter.