Rubio reveals key issue in Ukraine peace talks ahead of Abu Dhabi meeting
Photo: Marco Rubio (Getty Images)
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that security guarantees for Ukraine are one of the key issues in negotiations aimed at ending Russia's war against Ukraine. He expressed hope that progress would be made at the upcoming meeting in Abu Dhabi, according to DRM News.
Speaking to reporters, the secretary of state confirmed that Ukraine and Russia would hold talks in Abu Dhabi on November 10 and 11, mediated by the United States. He said security guarantees have consistently been a central topic throughout the negotiations.
"The entirety of the time we have been talking about Russia-Ukraine, the one thing that’s repeatedly come up is the need for security guarantees - what is the post-war security infrastructure of Ukraine and, more broadly, of the European continent going to look like? And it’s one of the key topics that’s been raised repeatedly in every conversation any time negotiations have been discussed," Rubio said.
He also explained that, in his view, when US President Donald Trump talks about progress, he is referring to advances in working out what the postwar security architecture could look like.
Rubio stressed that the war must first be brought to an end before moving on to this stage, but discussions on the issue are already underway. Summing up, he added that the proposals are still at an early stage and nothing has been agreed upon yet.
"I think the President was briefed on that on Thursday or Friday of last week, some of the initial thoughts that are out there. Nothing’s been finalized yet. And maybe some progress can be made in Abu Dhabi tomorrow when Jared and Steve will be there. I think they’re on the way there right now," the secretary of state concluded.
Resumption of peace talks
As a reminder, Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff recently announced that the first trilateral meeting between Ukraine, the United States, and Russia since February would take place in Abu Dhabi on November 10 and 11 as part of negotiations aimed at ending the war.
According to Witkoff, the parties intend to discuss postwar security arrangements, de-escalation, humanitarian issues, and further steps toward peace.
A source familiar with the matter told RBC-Ukraine that Ukraine's delegation would include National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov, Head of the Presidential Office Kyrylo Budanov, Servant of the People parliamentary faction leader David Arakhamia, First Deputy Head of the Presidential Office Serhii Kyslytsia, and Deputy Chief of Ukraine's Defense Intelligence Vadym Skibitskyi.
In addition, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said that European representatives would also take part in the negotiations. A French representative will attend, although it is not yet known who exactly will represent France.
