Two days of US-mediated peace talks between Russian and Ukrainian government delegations concluded in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, with a mutual agreement to carry out a large-scale prisoner of war (POW) exchange. However, American mediators acknowledged that deep divisions remain over core territorial and security issues. The talks, which began on November 10 at the invitation of the United States, marked the first direct face-to-face negotiations between the two warring nations in nine months, following their previous meeting in February.

While both Moscow and Kyiv stated that progress was made and negotiations will continue, US President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff noted that no sweeping peace breakthrough was achieved. According to Reuters, the primary stumbling block remains Russian President Vladimir Putin’s demand that Ukraine withdraw its forces and recognize Russian sovereignty over four eastern Ukrainian regions—Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson—which Russia declared annexed in September 2022 despite lacking full military control. Putin has also insisted on a comprehensive peace deal rather than an immediate ceasefire, demanding that Ukraine abandon its NATO aspirations, accept strict military caps, and lift restrictions on the Russian language and Moscow-affiliated Orthodox Church.