The Kremlin confirmed on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, that U.S.-mediated Russia-Ukraine talks to end more than four years of war will take place in Abu Dhabi next week, according to The Hindu. The Ukraine peace talks in Abu Dhabi are set for November 10-11, while discussions continue over a possible meeting of Putin, Trump and Xi Jinping in China.
U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff announced the Abu Dhabi meeting dates, according to The Hindu. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Russian delegation will arrive in Abu Dhabi on November 10-11 for trilateral talks.
The Russian delegation will be led by Putin aide Vladimir Medinsky, who also led Russia’s delegations in Istanbul last year and in Geneva earlier this year, The Hindu reported.
On the proposed China meeting, the Moscow Times reported that Peskov said Russia hopes a trilateral meeting of Putin, Trump and Xi will be finalized in the coming days, with China as the main organizing force and host. Putin and Trump are also expected to attend the APEC summit in Shenzhen, China, on November 18-19, the Moscow Times said.
Other reporting points to skepticism about the China meeting. The Moscow Times cited the Financial Times, reporting through a source familiar with the Kremlin’s thinking, that Russia does not expect substantive negotiations on Ukraine at the proposed meeting and reportedly believes Beijing wants credit once a peace settlement is in sight. Separately, an r/europe top-day item citing German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Xi was surprised by the proposal and that European officials should be involved because the war is on the European continent. The same item said Kyiv has criticized a peace summit in China without Ukraine at the table and urged a meeting of Zelensky, Trump and Putin instead.
The accounts differ on whether a China-hosted summit is being prepared. The Moscow Times reports Peskov saying discussions are underway. The r/europe item, citing Steinmeier, says Xi showed no interest in hosting a three-way summit and that no preparations are underway from Xi’s perspective. Peskov reportedly said on November 2 that there were no details on a possible three-way summit. The same r/europe item says the Wall Street Journal reported that Putin wanted to use the meeting to secure a favorable peace deal; that report is unverified.
Several points remain unconfirmed. No response from the White House or the Trump administration beyond Witkoff’s announcement is included in the available reporting, and no Ukrainian official has responded to the Abu Dhabi talks. China’s Foreign Ministry said only that it is in communication with relevant parties, and no confirmation of a Trump meeting at APEC is available. Medinsky’s background is reported by The Hindu alone and has not been independently confirmed.
Russia-Ukraine trilateral talks are scheduled for Abu Dhabi on November 10-11. The APEC summit in Shenzhen runs November 18-19, where a Putin-Trump-Xi meeting is possible but not confirmed.
Sources
This article was written with AI assistance from the published reporting listed above. It is part of the World Brief daily news podcast.