Negotiators from Ukraine, Russia and the United States return to the table in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, 11 November, for the second day of trilateral talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. The first session ended after about four hours on Tuesday, and Ukraine's Foreign Intelligence Service said the talks would resume on Wednesday, according to the Associated Press and Interfax-Ukraine. No peace agreement was announced.

The two-day round, which opened on Tuesday, 10 November, is the first trilateral meeting between the three sides since February, after three earlier rounds in January and February. The United Arab Emirates confirmed that it was hosting the delegations. US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are leading Washington's mediation effort, while Ukraine's delegation is led by Rustem Umerov, head of the country's Foreign Intelligence Service, and Russia's by Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky.

Security guarantees at the centre

Security guarantees for Ukraine are the focus of the discussions. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an address on 9 November that Ukraine would propose steps to reduce escalation and seek a path towards a meeting involving leaders, and identified security guarantees and resources for postwar recovery as essential. The European Council said European partners, Ukraine, the United States and NATO had met in Abu Dhabi and emphasised sovereignty, territorial integrity and credible security guarantees, though it is not established that Moscow has accepted those principles.

The territorial question remains the hardest issue. Russia continues to demand that Ukraine surrender the entire Donbas region, which comprises Donetsk and Luhansk, while Ukraine has refused to give up land. US envoy Jared Kushner said recent contacts with both sides had "narrowed the gaps", but Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Russia would not agree to an immediate ceasefire without knowing what would happen next. A Reuters report, citing a source in the Russian delegation, described a broader European security framework as a central subject for the talks.

Strikes continue as talks proceed

Fighting continued even as the talks opened. Russian forces struck ten Ukrainian regions overnight, targeting five major electrical substations and killing two people in the Vinnytsia region, officials said on Tuesday. Prime Minister Sergiy Koretskyi said Russia had hit substations in the Poltava, Dnipropetrovsk, Vinnytsia and Kirovohrad regions, while grid operator Ukrenergo said homes were left without power in six regions, including Kyiv, Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk.

UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan attended the launch of the talks in Abu Dhabi, welcoming the UAE's hosting of what the foreign ministry described as the third round of trilateral talks. The ministry said the talks were being held as part of the UAE's support for US efforts to reach a political solution to a crisis that has lasted nearly five years. Whether the second day produces a joint statement, a timetable for further talks or any humanitarian step will be the test of whether the renewed meeting moves beyond discussion.