Russia Names Medinsky for Abu Dhabi Talks as Trumps Plan White House Meeting
Moscow confirms a Nov. 10 summit while the first lady prepares to host a Kherson ceasefire discussion on Thursday.
By Hassan Ellis ·
Russia confirmed Tuesday that a new round of peace negotiations with Ukraine and the United States will take place in Abu Dhabi next week. The Kremlin also indicated that a trilateral meeting involving Presidents Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump, and China’s Xi Jinping is under consideration. Vladimir Medinsky, an aide to President Putin, will lead the Russian delegation in the Emirates. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov revealed this arrangement during a conference call with reporters.
The diplomatic push follows a recent pause in hostilities in the Kherson region. A six-day ceasefire in the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky and surrounding areas ended on Monday. The White House stated that First Lady Melania Trump brokered this temporary halt to allow for the evacuation of residents. Ukraine accused Russia on Monday of using the ceasefire period to strengthen its military positions in the city.
Melania Trump will host representatives from both nations at the White House on Thursday to discuss the local ceasefire. The White House described the upcoming event as an extraordinary moment in American history but did not specify which officials would attend. The First Lady is scheduled to deliver remarks on the Oleshky situation at 11 a.m. ET on Thursday.
U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff announced late Monday that Washington would mediate the Abu Dhabi talks. These sessions, set for Nov. 10 and 11, will focus on security arrangements, de-escalation measures, and humanitarian issues. Witkoff also said that U.S. negotiators would meet with European and NATO officials in Brussels this week to discuss postwar security guarantees and reconstruction plans for Ukraine.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has maintained that Kyiv must be part of any negotiations regarding Ukraine's future. On Oct. 20, he stated that a three-way meeting between the U.S., China, and Russia to end the war could be acceptable only if Ukraine was at the table. He reiterated his stance with the phrase, Nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine. Zelenskyy noted he had discussed the proposal for the trilateral meeting.
Tensions between Washington and Kyiv have increased in recent weeks as strikes on civilian and energy targets continued. The Trump administration's moves in October raised questions about its role as a military partner for Ukraine. The Kremlin expressed hope on Tuesday to finalize plans for the trilateral leader meeting in the coming days, a move that follows earlier reports of negotiations excluding the Ukrainian president.
