US to mediate Ukraine-Russia talks in Abu Dhabi, US envoy says - CGTN
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The United States will bring together delegations from Ukraine and Russia in Abu Dhabi on November 10-11 to discuss ending Russia's conflict with Ukraine, post-conflict security agreements and de-escalation, US envoy Steve Witkoff said on Monday.
US negotiators have been seeking a breakthrough in the long-running conflict before the winter sets in. The last US-mediated peace talks took place in February before the United States and Israel launched a war against Iran.
Witkoff, in a social media post, said the new Abu Dhabi discussions will cover "post-war security agreements, de-escalation, humanitarian measures, and ending the war."
Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the lead US negotiators, are expected to represent the US in Abu Dhabi, a senior US official told Reuters.
The US official said American negotiators will meet at the working level this week in Brussels with representatives from France, Germany, Britain, the European Union and NATO to discuss "Ukraine’s security guarantees, Europe’s future security framework, and economic support for Ukraine’s reconstruction."
Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to a new round of trilateral talks after meeting Witkoff in St Petersburg two weeks ago as part of the latest US push to stop the conflict.
Following the meeting, Putin said negotiations should focus on ensuring long-term security for both Russia and Ukraine, as well as establishing a broader European security framework.
He also reiterated Moscow's territorial claims over Donbas, which Kyiv has firmly rejected.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that territorial issues should be addressed directly by the countries' leaders, while other matters could be handled by technical working groups. He renewed his call for a direct meeting with Putin, saying the Russian president was the only person in Russia able to make major decisions on ending the conflict.
Zelenskyy also ruled out discussing restrictions on Ukraine's armed forces or enforced neutrality after the conflict, reiterating Kyiv's longstanding ambition to join NATO despite reservations among some members of the alliance.
Ukraine and Russia remain far apart when it comes to the terms of any possible peace deal, though Trump has recently intensified pressure on Ukraine to strike some kind of agreement.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said that Moscow's stance on the conflict remains unchanged and that Ukraine could not be allowed to pose a military threat to Russia's security interests.
He said fundamental issues in US-Russia relations also remained unresolved, citing continuing sanctions against Moscow and US arms supplies to Kyiv, including Washington's approval of the sale of 500 Patriot PAC-3 missiles to Ukraine.
(Cover: File photo of US envoy Steve Witkoff. /VCG)
