The Russia-Ukraine-US talks are now confirmed, per a Kremlin Tuesday statement, now set to be held in Abu Dhabi from November 10-11. The trilateral talks were intially agreed to late last month following US envoy Steve Witkoff having met with President Putin in St. Petersburg.
The White House is seeking a breakthrough in the stalemated, grinding war which is now in its fifth year. However, the talks won't include heads of state - and it could be a long time before that ever happens, if at all. Also, the venue could be moved if renewed all-out war breaks out over Iran and in the Persian Gulf region.
It appears the negotiations will begin at the technical and preparatory level, with Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov having on Tuesday announced that Vladimir Medinsky - an aide to Russian President Putin - will serve as Moscow's chief negotiator for the talks.
Likely it will be Witkoff and Jared Kushner as representing Washington mediation at the venue. They have been involved in meeting both sides, traveling between capitals.
The Kremlin has over past years indicated that Putin himself would not meet with Ukraine's Zelensky unless it is to sign an already agreed-to permanent peace deal which is consistent with the goals of the Russian 'special military operation'.
Among key items is that Moscow wants is nothing less than full and permanent political recognization of Crimea and the annexed eastern territories as part of sovereign Russia.
In the meantime Foreign Policy has hit out at the woeful lack of progress on the part of Witkoff and Kushner, who are not elected officials:
Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff are unofficial presidential envoys, personally selected by U.S. President Donald Trump to handle critical negotiations over Ukraine, Gaza, and Iran. While it’s safe to say neither was selected after a long and extensive search (Kushner is Trump’s son-in-law and Witkoff is a longtime friend and golfing buddy), let’s be charitable and assume that they have been genuinely trying to reach agreements that would advance U.S. interests. The question is: Why have they accomplished so little?
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was in Atlanta Friday and into the weekend, and while there he addressed the question of finding peace, which has remained elusive.
Witkoff on the planned scope of the Abu Dhabi talks...
Lavrov told reporters that Russia's demands and goals for ending the 'special military operation' in Ukraine remain completely unchanged. He also at one point lashed out at Washington for continuing policies which serve to make peace more distant.
"Fundamental issues are not being resolved. Sanctions remain; all the sanctions from [former President Joe] Biden are echoed by the current administration," he emphasized.