US envoys Witkoff and Kushner to lead Ukraine-Russia talks in Abu Dhabi

The United States is preparing to host a new round of trilateral peace negotiations in Abu Dhabi next week. Steve Witkoff, the US special envoy, announced the schedule on social media on Monday. He stated that the agenda for the meetings will include post-war security agreements, de-escalation measures, humanitarian efforts, and the end of the war. Reuters reported that Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law, are expected to represent the US delegation at the talks.

Witkoff indicated that US negotiators will hold separate meetings in Brussels this week. They will meet with representatives from the UK, France, Germany, the EU, and NATO. The goal of those discussions is to define security guarantees for Ukraine and outline Europe's post-war security architecture. Witkoff also noted that the Brussels talks will address economic opportunities to support Ukraine's reconstruction. The last US-mediated trilateral talks occurred in February, prior to the US and Israel launching a war against Iran.

Vladimir Putin agreed to the new round of talks after a meeting with Witkoff in St Petersburg two weeks ago. Despite the diplomatic movement, Ukraine and Russia remain far apart on the terms of any potential peace deal. Witkoff's announcement came as Russian forces bombed a school in the Zaporizhzhia region on Monday. The school was serving as an aid distribution point. Volodymyr Zelenskyy and emergency services confirmed that 26 people were killed. Zelenskyy described the event as a vile terrorist strike, noting that the first strike hit as people arrived and the second struck the shelter.

European nations are also moving to support potential post-war stability. About 2,800 troops from 10 European countries will stage in Poland this month. This marks the first exercise for the Multinational Force for Ukraine, a force led by France and the UK. The force has no offensive mission and will only deploy if a ceasefire is agreed. The exercise is scheduled to run from November 9 to 22 in south-east Poland. Wes Streeting, the UK defence minister, called the force a real entity ready to help Ukraine once fighting stops. The joint statement from the French defence ministry said the drills will test the speed and efficiency of multi-national deployment on land, sea, and air.

In the south, Ukraine accused Russia of using the US-backed humanitarian ceasefire in the Kherson region to strengthen its military position. Nearly 800 people were evacuated from the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky. Both sides have praised the six-day pause in fighting around the town as a success. However, Kyiv's general staff said on Monday that Russian forces used the truce to rotate troops and improve logistics. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said he did not have specific information on movements but called adjusting positions during a ceasefire standard practice.

Unrelated to the diplomatic efforts, unknown hackers targeted Ukraine's nationwide emergency alert mobile app. The intruders sent residents in Kyiv warnings about an imminent nuclear strike. The app also incorrectly warned of a chemical threat to the capital and street-to-street fighting. One woman told Luke Harding that she was briefly terrified by the alerts.

The next scheduled step is the trilateral meeting in Abu Dhabi. Witkoff and Kushner are expected to lead the US team. The Brussels talks with European partners will take place this week. The multinational exercise in Poland begins on November 9.