Two days of US-brokered peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi concluded without a breakthrough. Hours later, Russia launched ballistic missiles at Kyiv, while Russian attacks across Ukraine killed at least 10 people, according to local authorities. US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are scheduled to travel to Moscow and Dublin on Thursday for separate talks with Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky.
Ukrainian delegate Davyd Arakhamia described this round of talks as one of the hardest. He said he believed the Russians came with very strict directives, making the discussion extremely difficult to soften. Kremlin negotiator Vladimir Medinsky said a lot depended on Ukraine, the US position, and whether Europe came to its senses.
The negotiations focused on post-war security architecture. For Kyiv, this may include reassurances that allies will come to its aid if Ukraine is attacked again, while a reworked framework for Moscow is likely to include limits on Nato’s influence in Eastern Europe. Medinsky said the framework would serve as a new Yalta and Potsdam, referring to the post-war partition of Europe into spheres of influence.
The future of Ukraine’s Donetsk region remains the core territorial obstacle. Medinsky stated that every inch of land would be returned to Russia one way or another. US negotiator Jared Kushner acknowledged the lack of trust between the sides, saying the war could not end until there was an agreement on territory and all other bilateral issues.
Kushner said getting the Europeans added to the format would be on the agenda for his talks with Putin. European and Nato representatives were present in Abu Dhabi, but the Kremlin said its delegation had no contact with them. A German government spokesperson said agreements cannot be implemented if no consensus can be reached among Nato members.
Overnight, Russian forces attacked Ukraine. In Kyiv, Russian drone and ballistic attacks killed one person and injured seven. Across the country, Russian attacks damaged a farm, warehouses and agricultural machinery in Dnipropetrovsk; targeted farm buildings and power grids in Kharkiv; damaged a farm building in Kherson; and struck energy and transport infrastructure in Zhytomyr. In Odesa Oblast, a strike on a market in the city of Chornomorsk killed at least four people. Ukraine’s Air Force reported intercepting five Banderol/Dan-T and 89 Russian drones during the attacks. Moscow and Kyiv confirmed a large-scale prisoner exchange is in the works.
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12 claims in this story checked against 2 sources: 12 supported.
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- SupportedRussia launched ballistic missiles at Kyiv hours after the peace talks ended without a meaningful breakthrough.Kyiv Independent: “Russia attacks Kyiv with ballistic missiles hours after peace talks end. ... The talks concluded without a meaningful breakthrough .”
- SupportedThe talks concluded on Nov. 11 without a meaningful breakthrough.Euronews: “Ukraine and Russia will return to the negotiating table in Abu Dhabi on November 10–11, nine months after their last round of US-mediated talks.”
- SupportedAnother prisoner exchange was the only tangible result announced after the talks.Kyiv Independent: “the only tangible result announced after the talks was another prisoner exchange.”
- SupportedThe talks were the first between Ukraine and Russia in nine months.Euronews: “Ukraine and Russia will return to the negotiating table in Abu Dhabi on November 10–11, nine months after their last round of US-mediated talks.”
- SupportedUkraine's delegation was led by Foreign Intelligence Service head Rustem Umerov.Euronews: “Ukraine's delegation will again be led by Foreign Intelligence Service head Rustem Umerov”
- SupportedRussia's delegation was again led by Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky, a staunch supporter of the invasion.Euronews: “Russia's delegation will again be led by Vladimir Medinsky, a Kremlin aide and former culture minister ... A staunch supporter of Russia's invasion”
- SupportedMedinsky's textbook portrays the war in Ukraine as a continuation of the Soviet struggle against Nazi Germany.Euronews: “Medinsky edited a three-volume textbook, 'Military History of Russia', published in January 2025, which portrays the war in Ukraine as a continuation of the Soviet struggle against Nazi Germany.”
- SupportedSergei Ryabkov was taking part in the Ukraine peace negotiations for the first time.Euronews: “Among them is Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, who is joining the Ukraine peace negotiations for the first time.”
- SupportedThe Institute for the Study of War said the Russian delegation's composition raised doubts about Moscow's willingness to negotiate meaningfully.Euronews: “ISW argued that the composition of the Russian delegation raised doubts about the Kremlin's willingness to engage in meaningful negotiations.”
- SupportedTrump said: “There's going to be an agreement. It's going to be a big agreement, and it's going to involve more than Ukraine,”Euronews: “"There's going to be an agreement. It's going to be a big agreement, and it's going to involve more than Ukraine," Trump said”
- SupportedExplosions rocked Kyiv at around 1 a.m. on Nov. 12, after Ukraine's Air Force warned of Russian ballistic missiles headed to the region.Kyiv Independent: “Explosions rocked Kyiv at around 1 a.m., according to Kyiv Independent journalists on the ground. Just a few minutes before the blasts, Ukraine's Air Force warned that Russian ballistic missiles were headed to the region.”
- SupportedRussia has attacked Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities' energy infrastructure since the onset of the heating season.Kyiv Independent: “Russia has hammered Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities with frequent attacks on energy and transportation infrastructure since the onset of the heating season.”