US to hold first talks with Russia and Ukraine since February

Officials from Washington, Moscow and Kyiv will meet in Abu Dhabi next week

The US has arranged trilateral peace talks with Moscow and Kyiv in Abu Dhabi next week to discuss ending the war in Ukraine, the first time the three sides will have met since February.

The meetings planned for November 10 and 11 would cover "post-war security arrangements, de-escalation, humanitarian efforts, and next steps toward peace", US special envoy Steve Witkoff posted on X on Monday evening.

Witkoff also said US negotiators would hold talks in Brussels this week to address "security guarantees for Ukraine, Europe's post-war security architecture, and economic opportunities to support Ukraine's reconstruction" with officials from France, Germany, the UK, the EU and Nato.

The first direct, three-way talks between the US, Russia and Ukraine in nine months raise renewed hopes of progress towards ending the more than four-year-old conflict, although critical barriers still exist to any settlement.

The US and Russia have discussed a potential return by American companies to the Russian oil market as part of the peace agreement, the FT reported last week.

But Russian President Vladimir Putin has not shown any sign he plans to moderate his hardline negotiating position that has hampered the peace talks.

The US has previously linked the future guarantees for Ukraine to territorial concessions but has since indicated it will not push Kyiv to surrender land at the negotiating table, according to two people briefed on the talks.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in recent days has acknowledged for the first time Russia's need for security guarantees as part of a potential peace deal, a significant shift amid a renewed US diplomatic push.

Last week, the US gave initial approval to a potential $2.1bn sale of 500 Patriot interceptors to Ukraine after Kyiv accused Washington of delaying deliveries of the crucial defensive weapons.

News of the planned peace talks in Abu Dhabi comes days after residents from the Russian-controlled frontline town of Oleshky reached Ukrainian-controlled territory following a complex humanitarian operation rescued hundreds of people.

The operation was the result of a local ceasefire that marked the most significant pause in hostilities since the full-scale war began in 2022.