US Envoys Plan Putin Zelensky Meetings After Talks
US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will hold Putin Zelensky meetings on Thursday, November 12, 2026, after two days of talks in Abu Dhabi on ending the Ukraine war. They will travel first to Moscow to meet Putin, then to Dublin to brief Zelensky, who will attend European meetings there.
Dawn reported the meetings on November 11, 2026. The Abu Dhabi talks were the first since February, when the US war in Iran halted diplomacy. All sides talked up progress, though Ukraine’s top negotiator, Rustem Umerov, said “significant differences remain”.
The talks produced one clear result: a major prisoner exchange, the “biggest” ever, according to Kushner. No side gave figures for the swap.
Kushner said the Putin meeting would “go over what was discussed today” and “try to make more progress” because “we see some openings and some opportunities”. With Zelensky, the pair will “further explore some of the ideas that we came up with here today”.
Umerov said there was “still a lot of difficult work ahead, but there are opportunities to continue the negotiation process”. Medinsky said the “discussion will certainly continue”.
What the Abu Dhabi talks produced
The two days in Abu Dhabi brought the US, Russian and Ukrainian sides back to the table after a nine-month gap, with officials from Britain, France, Germany and Italy, NATO and the European Union on the sidelines.
Europe joined the US-led talks this week, after months in which the format had been largely American-led. That presence set up the sharpest dispute of the two days: what role Europe should play in any settlement.
Kushner said the talks had helped but declined to say where the two sides might agree. “Some areas we see places where we can find compromises, others we need to have more discussions, but I think this was a good first step,” he told reporters.
The split over Europe’s role
Medinsky questioned including Europe in the talks at all. “We don’t really understand what there is to talk about with them. We have not received a single peace initiative, not one concrete proposal from the European countries,” he said.
He later told Russian television that Moscow’s aim is a “new, modern Yalta and Potsdam”, referring to the 1945 conferences at which Western leaders divided Europe with the USSR’s Joseph Stalin. Ukraine has warned against that outcome and wants more involvement from its European backers.
Kushner said adding the Europeans to the format would be on the agenda with Putin, and urged Europe to “identify one person to speak on their behalf”.
Germany said on Wednesday that Russia must halt the war before any talks on European security. Kyiv agrees, and has warned against a “Yalta 2.0” carving up of the continent.
The dispute comes as Washington presses allies on several fronts. Marco Rubio had discussed Iran and Ukraine with G7 partners in Paris, and Melania Trump hosted a separate Russia-Ukraine meeting calling for an enduring truce.
Putin Zelensky meetings: what each side wants
Kyiv says a ceasefire must come before any talks on territory, and wants a direct meeting between Zelensky and Putin. Putin has ruled that out, though the Kremlin has invited Zelensky to Moscow.
Russia is demanding Ukraine withdraw from parts of eastern Ukraine it still controls, plus a sweeping deal on “Europe’s security architecture”, widely seen as a demand to push NATO back in eastern Europe.
Zelensky’s aide Kyrylo Budanov, who took part in the talks, said negotiations were “not easy” and Ukraine’s main goal was to “achieve a just and lasting peace as soon as possible”.
Kushner said on Tuesday that the US hoped to “create a new framework” of security between Ukraine, Russia and Europe. Europe has been rattled by President Donald Trump’s proposal for a deal with Russia on rewriting European post-war security, worrying that Washington will force Kyiv to accept a peace that heavily rewards Moscow.
The military picture has not changed while diplomacy moves. The US has approved Patriot missile sales to Ukraine, and the war has disrupted Black Sea shipping far beyond the front line.
Hundreds of thousands have been killed since Russia invaded in February 2022, in Europe’s worst conflict since the Second World War. Millions more have fled the fighting in eastern and southern Ukraine.
What happens next
Witkoff and Kushner will meet Putin in Moscow on Thursday, then travel to Dublin to debrief Zelensky. The two meetings will test whether the “openings” Kushner described in Abu Dhabi can survive contact with the two leaders who must approve any deal.
For now, the prisoner exchange stands as the one firm gain from Abu Dhabi. The rest depends on what the envoys hear in Moscow and Dublin.
Frequently asked questions
Who will meet Putin and Zelensky?
US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. They will meet Putin in Moscow first, then fly to Dublin to brief Zelensky.
What was agreed at the Abu Dhabi talks?
A major prisoner exchange, described by Kushner as the “biggest” ever. No side gave figures for the swap.
Why is Europe’s role in the talks disputed?
Russia’s delegation chief questioned what Europe could add, while Ukraine wants its European backers involved. Kushner said adding the Europeans to the format would be on the agenda with Putin.
What does Russia want from a deal?
Ukraine’s withdrawal from parts of eastern Ukraine it still controls, and a sweeping deal on “Europe’s security architecture”, widely seen as a demand to push NATO back in eastern Europe.
What does Ukraine want?
A ceasefire before any talks on territory, and a direct meeting between Zelensky and Putin. Putin has ruled out a direct meeting, though the Kremlin has invited Zelensky to Moscow.
