November 11, 2026 Breaking: Abu Dhabi Talks Resume After Nine Months, Day One Called “Constructive”

Breaking summary for November 11, 2026 (Japan time)

🟢 U.S.-mediated talks between Ukraine and Russia began in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on Nov. 10. It was the first three-way meeting since Geneva on Feb. 18, about nine months earlier. According to Tass, day one lasted about 4.5 hours including a break of roughly 40 minutes. Talks are due to resume at 11:00 Moscow time (17:00 Japan time) on Nov. 11. The U.S. side was led by special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law. Nato’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe, Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, also attended (A.P. via P.B.S., N.B.C.).

🟢 Ukraine’s delegation was led by Foreign Intelligence Service chief Rustem Umerov. Chief of staff Kyrylo Budanov and David Arakhamia, head of the ruling party’s parliamentary faction, joined him. Russia’s team was headed by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky. It included deputy foreign ministers Sergei Ryabkov and Mikhail Galuzin, and military intelligence chief Igor Kostyukov (A.B.C., P.B.S.).

🟡 Zelensky described day one as “constructive and quite substantive”. He said it focused on humanitarian issues: prisoner exchanges, the return of detained civilians, and children taken to Russia. A senior Ukrainian official told A.P. that a large-scale prisoner swap was discussed, with details to be worked out in the coming days.

🔵 The core dispute, territory, has barely moved. Moscow still demands that Ukraine withdraw from the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, abandon its Nato bid and accept limits on its military. Kyiv refuses to give up land Russia has not captured. This round is best read as an effort to rebuild a channel that has been dormant for nine months, not as a deal-closing session.

Timeline of key events (Japan time)

Ukrainian strikes on Russia (drones and more)

🟢 Ukraine kept up long-range strikes deep inside Russia right up to the talks. According to A.P., the Kinef (Kirishinefteorgsintez) refinery in Kirishi, Leningrad region, caught fire on Nov. 9, and Governor Alexander Drozdenko confirmed the fire. He said 113 drones were shot down over the region. The refinery is described as Russia’s second-largest. It supplies St. Petersburg and jet fuel to Pulkovo Airport (Spotmedia).

🟡 Ukraine’s General Staff said the same day that it hit the Morozov plant near St. Petersburg and damaged three production workshops. The plant makes solid propellant for Iskander-M ballistic missiles. Russia’s defense ministry did not comment, and the Kyiv Independent could not verify the claim independently. Early on Nov. 10, explosions were also reported near the 123rd Aircraft Repair Plant in Staraya Russa, Novgorod region.

🟢 Russia’s defense ministry said on Nov. 10 that it downed 155 Ukrainian drones overnight over nine regions and Crimea, and 52 more during the day (Interfax). According to local Russian officials, four people were killed and ten injured in the Belgorod region. In the Kursk region, damage to an energy facility cut power to 42 settlements and more than 4,000 customers. In Russian-occupied Donetsk, substations shut down and more than 151,000 subscribers lost power (AiF).

🟢 The refinery strikes are hitting everyday life in Russia. According to the Financial Times (F.T.), Rosneft has capped gasoline sales since Nov. 7 in at least four regions: 30 liters per visit in cities and 50 liters on highways. The governor of Karelia said “filling canisters with fuel is also prohibited.” Finland-based Crea estimates that 20% to 35% of Russia’s refining capacity is offline (Seoul Economic Daily).

🔵 Ukraine paused refinery strikes for about two weeks in mid-October under pressure from the Trump administration, then resumed them on Oct. 30. Stepping up strikes just before the talks serves what Zelensky calls “strengthening Ukraine’s negotiating position”. The strategy of squeezing Russia’s war capacity and domestic fuel supply, and using that as leverage, has become clearer.

Russian strikes on Ukraine and civilian life

🟢 Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched one Iskander-M ballistic missile and 162 long-range attack drones, 96 of them jet-powered, overnight into Nov. 10. By about 07:30 local time, 135 drones had been downed or suppressed. Impacts were recorded at 19 locations and falling debris at nine. The previous night had seen a much larger attack with 317 drones (A.P.).

🟢 The Kyiv Independent compiled regional reports: in the 24 hours to Nov. 10, nine people were killed and 39 injured, including a one-year-old. In Sumy, a drone hit a suburban train stopped at a station. Sumy governor Oleh Hryhorov said no one was hurt because the cars were empty and the crew had taken shelter.

🟡 Attacks on energy facilities continue. State generator Centrenergo said the Trypillia thermal power plant, less than 30 km south of Kyiv, was hit on Nov. 9. It warned of possibly “extremely serious” consequences. chief executive Serhiy Isachenko said “the nature of the Russian attacks has changed significantly”. He pointed to Russia combining ballistic missiles and jet-powered drones against a single target. Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal said on the evening of Nov. 9 that the power situation in Kyiv and Dnipro was “particularly difficult” (Ukrinform).

🟢 At the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, the I.A.E.A. said on Nov. 9 that a worker was killed in a drone strike. A worker at the nearby Zaporizhzhia thermal plant was also killed. Director General Rafael Grossi condemned “unacceptable attacks violating indispensable nuclear safety pillars”. He did not say which side was responsible. The plant lost external power for about 10 hours on Nov. 8 and relied on emergency diesel generators for cooling. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said it was the 16th such loss this year and the 27th since the war began.

🔵 In the Nov. 2 glide-bomb attack on Komyshuvakha, an aid distribution point in a school was hit. A 3-ton glide bomb was reportedly used again as rescuers arrived. Reported tolls vary: “at least 55” (A.P.) versus “30 identified, 19 possibly under rubble” (Ukrinform). The final number is not yet known. Together with the pre-winter campaign against the power grid, civilian harm has risen further this year. At the U.N. Security Council on Nov. 9, Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže said civilian casualties this year are more than double those of two years ago.

Zelensky and Kyiv

🟡 In his nightly video address on Nov. 9, Zelensky said: “Ukrainian forces are currently genuinely strengthening Ukraine’s negotiating position.” He said Russia is suffering “record losses”. Ukraine’s General Staff put Russian casualties on Nov. 8 at 2,980, a new single-day record. Moscow disputes the figure (Al Jazeera, Kyiv Independent).

🟢 On Nov. 10, Zelensky visited Denmark. He met Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, the leaders of Norway, Sweden, Iceland and Finland, and King Frederik X. Denmark announced a €645 million package covering strike and interceptor drones, ammunition for F-16 jets, and Purl, a scheme under which Europe pays for U.S. weapons for Ukraine. Denmark will separately provide €20 million for energy needs in the Kherson region. Zelensky said offices for Freyja, a new ballistic missile defense project, could open in Copenhagen and Oslo within a month (my.ua news roundup).

🟡 Speaking to reporters in Denmark, Zelensky said Russian representatives claimed at the talks that Russia had taken “half” of the Donbas territory Ukraine controls. “It’s not about some one village, but really a large territory,” he said, adding that Ukraine’s negotiators presented video and photo evidence to the contrary. “I think Putin lives somewhat in a different information reality,” he said. “It does not correspond to reality.” He also said the U.S. side agreed with Ukraine’s battlefield assessment and “did the right thing” (Ukrinform, about 06:15 Japan time on Nov. 11).

🔵 Life in Kyiv remains hard. A Kyiv Independent headline, “Kyiv is not ready for this”, described the capital bracing for another brutal winter. According to Seoul Economic Daily, some areas face power cuts of up to 16 hours a day. The E.U. agreed to activate an emergency mechanism to speed up funding for grid repairs.

Putin, Moscow and Russia at home

🟡 At a Security Council meeting on Nov. 6, Putin said “trilateral negotiations on Ukraine are due to begin in the Emirates on Tuesday”. He thanked the U.A.E., the host, saying “they consistently help us” (Vedomosti). On Nov. 10, the first day of the talks, he sent a message to a forum of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (C.S.T.O.), a Russian-led bloc of former Soviet states. In it, he said the bloc must keep strengthening its capacity and coordinating its efforts (Izvestia). As of this writing, no remarks by Putin himself on the substance of the talks could be confirmed.

🟡 Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the talks would focus on security guarantees. He again called the format “trilateral negotiations between Russia and Ukraine with U.S. mediation”, with no European participation. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the talks would address “security issues concerning Russia, Ukraine and the region as a whole.” Tass described the aim as building “a new system of continental security in the post-conflict period”.

🟡 According to Ria Novosti, Medinsky opened by thanking the U.A.E. and the United States. He said the larger, more professional delegation would “allow us to move toward peace”. According to a Ukrainian news roundup, Kushner said Putin is ready to end the war “under appropriate conditions”. He did not spell out what those conditions are.

🔵 Inside Russia, fuel shortages are spreading, and drone damage has become routine in border areas such as Belgorod. The F.T. reported that Putin intends to keep striking Ukraine’s energy and transport infrastructure while demanding that Ukraine withdraw from the parts of Donbas it still holds. Moscow is talking while fighting. Like Kyiv, it is using battlefield pressure as negotiating leverage.

Nato and Russian pressure beyond Ukraine

🟢 The presence of Nato’s top commander in Europe at the talks shows that their scope now reaches into European security architecture. Witkoff wrote on X that participants affirmed their commitment to a “strong post-war architecture and European security mechanisms”. He added that Nato remains central to collective defense. Rand’s Samuel Charap said putting broader European security on the agenda “seems to be new” (A.B.C.).

🟢 Europe is insisting on a seat in the negotiations. At the G-7 meeting in Paris, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said Europe must take part in the negotiations: “There can be no solution without Europe.” He warned against a “negotiation show” in Abu Dhabi. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said: “No one has the right to decide our fate behind our backs” (Al Jazeera).

🟢 On Nov. 9, the U.K.- and France-led Coalition of the Willing began Koalicja, its first exercise for a possible post-war deployment to Ukraine. About 2,800 troops from 11 nations are taking part, mainly in Poland, through Nov. 22. The U.K. says the force would deploy only at Kyiv’s request and only after fighting ends (Kyiv Independent).

🟡 Speaking at the U.N. Security Council on Nov. 9, Latvia’s Braže listed several forms of Russian pressure on Europe. They included violations of Nato airspace by Russian drones and aircraft, military build-ups near neighbors’ borders, and sabotage across Europe. She also warned of growing drone-technology cooperation among Russia, Iran and North Korea. No new airspace violations during Nov. 9–10 could be confirmed as of this writing.

🔵 Europe’s financial burden is also growing. In a letter to European Council President António Costa, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz urged leaders to make Ukraine’s 2027 funding a top priority. The plan would have the E.U. cover €45 billion of a €70 billion budget gap. Merz complained that bilateral aid is “carried mostly by only a few Member States”. E.U. leaders meet informally in Dublin on Nov. 13.

Diplomacy: U.S. mediation and Trump’s social media posts

🟢 On C.B.S.’s “60 Minutes” (aired Nov. 8, U.S. Eastern), Trump said: “I believe that that war is going to end and it’s going to end soon.” He suggested Ukraine would end up with “a little bit different shape”, hinting that its borders may change. He blamed the lack of a deal on “tremendous hatred” between Putin and Zelensky. Asked whether Putin was stringing him along, he said: “Oh, I don’t think so” (A.B.C., Euronews).

🟢 On Nov. 9 (U.S. Eastern), Trump told reporters that “Ukraine and Russia are tired of fighting” and that the two sides were in “a very good conversation” in Abu Dhabi. On Truth Social, he posted that day that he had “an excellent conversation” with Qatar’s prime minister (Euronews). As of this writing, no new Ukraine-related post following day one of the talks could be confirmed.

🟡 In Paris, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said “it looks like the talks in Abu Dhabi were very productive”. He added that a resolution is not imminent and much work remains. On Nov. 9, he said any security guarantee “has to be something that Russia agrees to as well in order for it to work”. Asked whether it could take the form of a treaty, he said “potentially”, but added that the issue had not yet been discussed at that level of detail (P.B.S., Kyiv Independent).

🟡 On Iran, Trump said on Nov. 9 (U.S. Eastern): “Iran, militarily, is effectively over. We’re just keeping it the status quo.” He called further strikes “quite unlikely” but added that “if we do have to go back in, we are locked and loaded.” Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, responded on X that the U.S. “flails like a desperate gambler”. He called talk of negotiations “imaginary”. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi denied reports that a meeting between Vice President J.D. Vance and Rezaei was planned (Euronews).

🔵 The key point is that U.S. diplomacy is juggling two wars at once, Ukraine and Iran. Trump’s Republicans also suffered heavy losses in this month’s midterm elections, according to Al Jazeera. Democrats, who take control of Congress in January, may push for more support for Ukraine (A.P.). Trump now has stronger reasons than ever to seek a visible diplomatic win.

Oil prices and the economic impact

🟢 Brent, the global benchmark, briefly fell below 90 dollars a barrel on Nov. 10, its lowest since Aug. 31. It traded at 90.32 dollars at about 13:33 U.A.E. time (18:33 Japan time), according to The National. Rigzone reported settlement prices of 91.49 dollars for Brent January (down 1.2%) and 86.04 dollars for W.T.I. December (down 0.9%). Brent is now more than 20% below its six-month high of 118 dollars on Oct. 30, and well below the 100 dollars mark.

🟢 Two main factors drove the decline. First, Trump signaled that further strikes on Iran are unnecessary, which eased fears about Middle East supply. Second, there were hopes for the Abu Dhabi talks. Hamad Hussain of Capital Economics said: “The fall in oil prices is mainly being driven by investor optimism that there will be a diplomatic end to the war soon.” J.P. Morgan estimates October’s global supply surplus at about 1.4 million barrels a day (Rigzone, Cornerstone).

🟡 Some analysts urged caution. Axel Rudolph of I.G. noted that the U.S. naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz remains in place, leaving “a significant supply risk”. Eurasia Group’s Gregory Brew said Brent is unlikely to fall below 90 dollars without “more durable signs of de-escalation” or a U.S.-Iran deal. Freight for a very large crude carrier from the Gulf to China remains high, at about 36 dollars–37 a barrel (oilprice.com, Arab News).

🔵 Russia’s Urals blend is around 77 dollars, based on data delayed by four days. If a Ukraine settlement eased sanctions on Russia, prices could fall further on expectations of more supply (The National). On the other hand, a breakdown in the talks or an escalation in Hormuz could quickly push prices back up. Prices move fast, so please recheck the latest quotes at the time of publication.

Other notable topics

🟡 Follow-up to the local ceasefire: In Russian-occupied Oleshky, Kherson region, a humanitarian ceasefire reportedly brokered by First Lady Melania Trump’s office ran from Oct. 28 to Nov. 1 (C.B.S.). Ukraine’s parliamentary human rights commissioner, Dmytro Lubinets, said on Nov. 10 that a new evacuation is being prepared (my.ua). Zelensky said the truce shows that “Russia can halt fighting”.

🟡 Detained O.S.C.E. staffer: On Nov. 10, Sybiha said Vadym Golda, a Ukrainian staff member of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (O.S.C.E.) held by Russia, had been moved to a prison medical facility in the Tambov region. He warned that this puts Golda’s health at greater risk (Kyiv Independent).

🟢 Money and sanctions: The I.M.F. began talks that could unlock a 1.67 dollars billion tranche for Ukraine. Canada announced new sanctions targeting Russia’s defense industry and cyber activities. Moldova said it now buys zero Russian gas and launched a new power line to the E.U. (Kyiv Independent).

🔵 Starlink: On “60 Minutes”, Trump said he did not know who ordered restrictions on Starlink satellite service in Ukraine. On Nov. 7, Elon Musk reposted a post calling Starlink service for Ukraine a “mistake”. On Nov. 9, Ukraine said it had struck a Russian satellite-communications jamming station. The episode again shows the risk of relying on a private U.S. company for frontline communications.

Wrap-up: three things to watch

Key sources (international primary reporting)

• Al Jazeera: First day of Russia-Ukraine talks in Abu Dhabi ‘constructive’: Zelenskyy (Nov. 10, 2026)
• Al Jazeera: European diplomats press Rubio for a role in Russia-Ukraine talks (Nov. 10, 2026)
• A.B.C. News: Russia, Ukraine and U.S. meet for Abu Dhabi talks as Trump says war can ‘end soon’
• A.B.C. News (A.P.): A day before U.S.-brokered talks, Russia and Ukraine batter each other with strikes
• P.B.S. NewsHour (A.P.): Russia and Ukraine hold nearly 4 hours of U.S.-mediated talks in Abu Dhabi
• C.B.S. News: No signs of progress as U.S.-Russia-Ukraine talks get underway in Abu Dhabi
• Tass: First day of Abu Dhabi talks ends after 4.5 hours
• РИА Новости: В Абу-Даби проходят переговоры делегаций России, США и Украины
• Ведомости: Главное из заявлений делегаций перед началом переговоров в Абу-Даби
• Известия: Путин заявил о необходимости наращивать координацию усилий между странами ОДКБ
• Интерфакс: Российские военные за ночь сбили над регионами 155 украинских дронов
• АиФ: Атака БПЛА на Россию 10 ноября: погибшие и пострадавшие
• Укрінформ: Зеленський - про оцінки ситуації на фронті: Путін живе в іншій реальності
• Kyiv Independent: Russian attacks kill 9, injure 39 including a 1-year-old across Ukraine over past day
• Kyiv Independent: Drone strike kills worker at Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, I.A.E.A. says
• Kyiv Independent: Germany’s Merz complains about unfair burden-sharing
• Kyiv Post: Russia Limits Fuel Sales in 4 Regions as Ukrainian Strikes Hit Refineries
• Euronews: Trump says Iran war ‘effectively over’ as Tehran denies planned talks
• Latvian Foreign Ministry: Statement to the U.N. Security Council meeting on Ukraine, 9 November 2026
• The National: Brent falls below 90 dollars a barrel for first time since August
• Rigzone: Oil Prices Retreat as Peace Hopes Grow
• OilPrice.com: Oil Price Charts (real-time quotes)