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US officials have indicated that both warring sides are displaying a degree of private flexibility on the contentious issue of territorial control in Ukraine’s east as high-level talks get underway. The discussions in Abu Dhabi represent the first trilateral meeting involving Russia, Ukraine and the United States since February, according to multiple reports from Reuters and the BBC. Senior envoys including Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff for the US side arrived for the sessions expected to last two days, with security guarantees forming a central element of the agenda.[[1]](https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russia-ukraine-meet-us-backed-talks-after-trump-says-broad-deal-possible-2026-11-10/)
A US official told Reuters that Moscow and Kyiv have shown “a little bit of flexibility, privately” despite firm public stances on the Donetsk region and other areas, an assessment that matches the description Ukraine peace talks resume with ‘some flexibility’ by warring sides, US officials say. Ukraine seeks to maintain current lines for security reasons while Russia demands full control over certain territories it claims. “They will not solve the Donetsk issue and the territorial issue until they know what the security architecture is going to be after the war,” the official said. The comments underscore how postwar security arrangements must precede any territorial resolutions in the negotiations.[[2]](https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russia-ukraine-showing-flexibility-territory-us-official-says-2026-11-09/)
President Donald Trump expressed optimism about the prospects, stating that both sides were tired of fighting and that a broad deal involving European security might be possible. “I think we’re gonna have it done, and I think it’s gonna happen and they’re gonna end up with a little bit different shape Ukraine,” Trump said in recent remarks reported by The Guardian. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio highlighted progress on conceptualizing postwar security infrastructure for Ukraine and the continent, noting advances that could see further development during the Abu Dhabi meetings.
On the Ukrainian side, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy asserted that recent military achievements on the battlefield have reinforced Kyiv’s hand ahead of the negotiations. He pointed to substantial Russian casualties and successful long-range strikes as factors enhancing Ukraine’s position, according to a Reuters briefing. Zelenskiy further noted that these developments strengthen the country not only militarily but also at the negotiating table, where Ukrainian forces are said to be delivering record results against occupiers.
European leaders remain cautious, with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas stating she saw no genuine Russian intent to negotiate while attacks on civilians continued. “So far they have just been pretending that they negotiate because we haven’t seen any goodwill from the Russian side,” Kallas told Reuters. Representatives from several European nations and institutions were present in Abu Dhabi for parallel discussions with Ukrainian officials but were excluded from the main trilateral format at Russia’s insistence, as the Kremlin has made clear it wants the core talks limited to the three parties.
Kushner, in a post on X, described the situation as an extremely complex and complicated conflict and acknowledged that difficult decisions lie ahead. The talks build on preliminary contacts earlier in the fall that included visits by US envoys to both capitals. Analysts following the process have noted that any territorial compromises would likely follow agreement on broader security arrangements for the region, a sequence emphasized across statements from US officials involved in the mediation.
