Zelensky Speaks With Witkoff and Kushner Ahead of Abu Dhabi Talks

Volodymyr Zelensky said Wednesday he held a 90-minute call with U.S. special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner ahead of working-level talks among Ukraine, Russia and the United States set for Nov. 10-11 in Abu Dhabi, according to his statement and reporting by the Kyiv Independent, Anadolu Agency and RTE.

Topics raised on the call

Zelensky said the conversation covered air-defense munitions, the bilateral U.S.-Ukraine drone arrangement and postwar security guarantees. He said Ukraine needs interceptors for Patriot systems to protect civilians from Russian attacks and that Kyiv wants to keep working each bilateral track with Washington, including the drone format.

“The pace of negotiations needs to be as intense as possible to end this war as quickly as possible,” Zelensky said, according to the Kyiv Independent. Anadolu Agency quoted him saying Ukraine is ready to take necessary steps and has presented proposals to the American side. He said postwar security guarantees “must be truly ironclad,” per the Kyiv Independent’s account of his remarks.

Road to Abu Dhabi

Witkoff earlier this week said Washington would mediate the Abu Dhabi sessions on postwar security arrangements, de-escalation, humanitarian efforts and next steps toward peace, Anadolu Agency reported. The meetings are planned at the team level and could precede a leader-level summit involving Zelensky, Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump.

Zelensky and Putin each met Witkoff in October — in Oslo and St. Petersburg, respectively — and both expressed willingness to negotiate, the Kyiv Independent reported. Russia and Ukraine last held U.S.-mediated rounds in January and February, including earlier sessions in Abu Dhabi and Geneva, according to Anadolu Agency.

Parallel diplomacy

U.S. representatives also took part Wednesday in Brussels meetings with European partners on joint peace efforts and postwar recovery, Zelensky said, with a further Brussels session on security guarantees planned, according to Anadolu Agency and the Kyiv Independent. RTE, citing AFP, noted the call comes amid a White House plan for first lady Melania Trump to host Ukrainian and Russian representatives for remarks tied to the Oleshky localized ceasefire she helped mediate.

Kyiv has long sought a ceasefire along current battle lines; Moscow has rejected those terms and demanded cessions of territory Ukraine still holds, the Kyiv Independent reported. Prior U.S.-brokered contacts have produced prisoner exchanges and limited local truces, not a comprehensive settlement.

Sources: Kyiv Independent, Anadolu Agency, RTE, AFP.