White House Says It Is 'Cautiously Optimistic' as U.S., Russia and Ukraine Open Abu Dhabi Talks Tuesday

Since U.S.-mediated talks between Russia and Ukraine were suspended in February because of the war in Iran, the fighting has gone on along a 1,200-kilometer front. Negotiators are now scheduled to meet again in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, Nov. 10, and Wednesday, Nov. 11.

U.S. officials who briefed reporters today, Nov. 9, said the White House is "cautiously optimistic." They said envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner spent the last two weeks on daily calls, sometimes several a day, with Russian and Ukrainian officials to prepare.

Kushner's four priorities

Kushner laid out the administration's goals in a post on X. He listed four: ending the fighting, credible postwar security arrangements, an economic and prosperity plan for Ukraine, and humanitarian measures including the return of prisoners and civilians.

He said the U.S. wants to put Russia and Ukraine in a room to discuss their security concerns directly. He also said a lasting deal would eventually require Russia and European governments to engage each other on broader security arrangements.

"We hope the discussions in Abu Dhabi will create the conditions for that engagement to begin in the near future, as part of a broader multilateral process," Kushner wrote.

Before the Russia-Ukraine sessions, Kushner and Witkoff plan to meet representatives of Ukraine, the European Union, NATO, Germany, France, the United Kingdom and Italy on the sidelines.

Positions have not moved

The two sides have not budged publicly. Russia is demanding control of the entire Donbas region. Ukraine says the territory should be divided along the current front lines.

President Vladimir Putin also wants Ukraine to withdraw from the four regions Moscow claimed in September 2022 but never fully captured. He wants Kyiv to drop its NATO bid, accept limits on its military and ease restrictions on the Russian language and the Moscow-affiliated Orthodox Church. He has rejected a general ceasefire, arguing a pause would let Ukrainian troops rest and rearm.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy rejects handing over land Russia has not taken on the battlefield. Ukraine says an immediate ceasefire is the first step toward a wider settlement and that only a direct Putin-Zelenskyy meeting can resolve territory. Zelenskyy told Fox News last month, "We have to freeze [the conflict]," calling that a "real way to end this war."

President Trump added his own signal in a CBS "60 Minutes" interview broadcast Nov. 8. "I think we're going to have it done, and I think it's going to happen, and they're going to end up with a little bit different shape Ukraine," he said, without elaborating. Ukraine has said it will not permanently cede territory.

Security guarantees on the agenda

Russia and Ukraine both say the talks will center on security guarantees. Zelenskyy said in a Nov. 5 interview that guarantees come down to what Western allies would do if Russia invades again. He said Ukraine and its allies have discussed arrangements similar to NATO's Article 5.

Kushner's proposed European security framework calls for stronger consultation between governments, reliable crisis communications, greater military transparency and reciprocal steps to reduce escalation risk. He said it would build on existing agreements and respect each nation's sovereignty.

The optimistic tone from Washington comes with skepticism in Europe and Ukraine about whether Putin wants the war to end. U.S. officials acknowledged that skepticism in today's briefing but still struck a positive note.

Strikes continue

The talks open under fire. Russian strikes on the Dnipropetrovsk region's power system left crews working early today to restore electricity to about 600,000 people, according to regional military chief Oleksandr Hanzha. He said hospitals switched to diesel generators and electric public transport stopped in Dnipro. He added that repair work was being hampered by constant Russian shelling.

Zelenskyy said there were "widespread power outages across the country," including 140 apartment buildings in the Zhytomyr region left without heating after a strike. In Kremenchuk, in the Poltava region, at least four people were injured in drone attacks, regional administrator Vitali Dyakivnych said. A residential building and a hotel were hit and 15 people were rescued.

Russia has relied on ballistic missiles and new, faster jet-powered drones while Ukraine is short of U.S.-made Patriot interceptors.

A localized truce last month around the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky, brokered with help from first lady Melania Trump, ran a week. It allowed some residents to evacuate and supplies to be delivered. Both Moscow and Kyiv called it a positive model, yet fighting elsewhere did not let up.

India offers a role on grain corridors

Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Zelenskyy by phone today. Modi's office said he reaffirmed that the conflict must be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy and conveyed India's readiness to help.

Zelenskyy said he briefed Modi on preparations for Abu Dhabi and that the two discussed food corridors amid disruptions to Black Sea grain exports. According to Zelenskyy, Modi said India was ready to mediate on such corridors.

Whether Moscow will say anything about a ceasefire, Donbas or the security guarantees Kyiv is seeking is the first question when the delegations sit down on Tuesday.