The latest round of US-brokered talks in Abu Dhabi between Russia, Ukraine, and American envoys wrapped up Wednesday with a large prisoner swap in the works and zero progress on ending a war that has already run nearly five years. Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner head to Moscow on Thursday to sit with Putin, then Dublin to see Zelensky. That sequence tells you where the real leverage sits right now.
The agenda was supposed to be post-war “security architecture.” For Kyiv that means Western-style guarantees that someone will come if Russia comes again, even without NATO membership. For Moscow it means limits on NATO’s eastern footprint and recognition that Ukraine will not be a forward base. Jared Kushner said the American side saw “some openings” and that there is no trust between the sides after this kind of war. Ukrainian negotiator Davyd Arakhamia called it one of the hardest sessions yet because the Russians arrived with tight instructions. Kremlin negotiator Vladimir Medinsky was blunter: a lot depends on Ukraine, the US position, and whether Europe “comes to its senses.” He also repeated that every inch of Donetsk will return to Russia “one way or another.”
🚨 JUST IN: President Trump’s envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff will meet with Vladimir Putin in MOSCOW on Thursday, then fly straight to Dublin to meet Zelensky
PRAY FOR PEACE 🙏🏻
It comes right after two days of Russia-Ukraine talks in Abu Dhabi this week
They were the first face-to-face talks with US mediators in the room since February.
Russia’s lead negotiator Vladimir Medinsky says the two sides have “moved closer to peace”
Ukraine’s Davyd Arakhamia says there’s “good momentum” to reach a deal by the NEW YEAR 🤞🏻
Trump’s team has already gotten Putin back to the table and secured the release of American Stephen Hubbard, held by Russia since 2022
Remember when the hawks demanded Trump sanction Putin? 47 WANTS PEACE!
Wrapping up Iran and Russia by or shortly after the new year would be incredible.
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) November 11, 2026
That is the core standoff that has not moved. Russia holds most of the Donbas and Crimea and demands the rest of Donetsk plus a neutral Ukraine. Ukraine refuses to hand over the remaining slice of territory it still controls and insists on ironclad guarantees before any freeze. Europeans want a ceasefire first so they can rearm and lock in their own security arrangements. The Kremlin wants the political terms settled before the guns stop. Kushner noted that any peacetime framework is contingent on the war ending, which itself requires agreement on territory.
Trump has said for months that Zelensky is the one who does not want to stop. In October he told reporters Zelensky “doesn’t want to stop” the war and “is not helping matters much,” and that it might be time for someone else to negotiate for Ukraine. He has called the Ukrainian leader “not a good guy” to deal with, accused him of not actually wanting a settlement, and said the country will end up with “a little bit different shape.” On 60 Minutes he pointed to the “tremendous hatred” between Zelensky and Putin as the main obstacle while insisting the war ends because of him. Those comments line up with what the talks keep producing: Ukraine will not trade the last pieces of Donetsk for a deal that freezes the current lines and offers something short of a full Western security umbrella.
Today we achieved an important humanitarian breakthrough, with Ukraine and Russia agreeing in principle to what will be the largest prisoner exchange of the war. This will reunite families, build trust, and create momentum toward peace.
Bringing Ukraine and Russia back together for the first trilateral talks since February was an important step. The discussions were serious, detailed, and frank. Both countries shared specific ideas to narrow the gaps and find a path to end the war.
In close coordination with Ukraine and our European partners, we have aligned on proposals we will discuss with President Putin in Moscow tomorrow, followed by consultations with President Zelenskyy.
President @realDonaldTrump is determined to end this horrible war. Significant differences remain, but we are committed to building on the progress made and advancing toward broader multilateral negotiations that can deliver lasting peace and a sovereign, secure, and prosperous Ukraine.
— Jared Kushner (@jaredkushner) November 11, 2026
Zelensky has answered that he will not sign a weak agreement that only prolongs the war. He wants peace, but not at any cost, and he has said a deal is “90 percent ready” with the remaining 10 percent deciding everything. That remaining slice is territory and the exact shape of the guarantees. Public Ukrainian posts after the Abu Dhabi session framed any concession as selling the country and demanded Russia simply leave. Russian posts and Medinsky’s remarks treat further Ukrainian concessions as the necessary next step.
Ukraine rejects a US offer it simply couldn’t refuse 😂
According to The Telegraph, Washington proposed redrawing borders in a way that would allow Russia to claim full control over Donbas and present it as a victory in the war.
The idea was supposedly meant to break the deadlock in peace negotiations. But Kyiv rejected it.
Strange, isn’t it? Such an amazing deal! Everybody wins! 🤡🤡🤡
All Ukraine had to do was help the Kremlin declare victory!
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) November 11, 2026
The practical reality is that Russia started the full-scale invasion and still occupies land it took by force. It also has the manpower and the willingness to keep grinding. Ukraine has fought hard and taken massive losses, and its leadership has every reason to want guarantees that the next round does not start in a few years. But the talks keep stalling on Kyiv’s refusal to lock in territorial losses in exchange for an end to the daily killing. Trump’s point is that the United States is not going to underwrite an open-ended war or force Russia to reverse every gain while Europe lectures from the sidelines. Witkoff and Kushner’s dual trip this week is the current test of whether either side will move off its public maximums.
The prisoner exchange is the only concrete item that moved. Everything else—Donetsk, the security framework, European participation, the sequencing of a ceasefire—remains stuck exactly where it has been. Trump has been saying the blocker is in Kyiv. The record of these talks keeps giving him the evidence.
— The Whatfinger News Team: Sgt K and Ben, with Grok on edits and graphics
