The US will hold trilateral talks with Ukraine and Russia in Abu Dhabi on November 10-11, a senior US official says. The agenda covers ending the war, post-war security pacts, de-escalation and aid measures.

The dates settle weeks of promises. The Kremlin said on October 27 that the three sides would resume talks in Abu Dhabi in November. Zelenskiy has agreed to a team-level meeting in the first half of the month and has said he backs talks between negotiators rather than a leaders' summit. A US official said earlier that the aim is to build toward a meeting of leaders, though much work remains. The agenda is wider than the technical-level talks described in earlier previews, which suggests Washington wants terms on the table, not another procedural session.

But Moscow has not moved. Putin has said eastern Ukraine is historically Russian land, and Russia's demand for the rest of Donbas is unchanged. A source close to the Kremlin said Putin would negotiate only after securing the remaining 11% of the region. None of the energy inducements offered so far has shifted that position.

The run-up is fragile. The Wall Street Journal reported that Ukraine has paused strikes on Russian refineries under US pressure, and that the pause is expected to last until after the US midterms and perhaps well into November. Yet Ukraine said it hit the Novokuibyshevsk refinery on October 30, and the Kremlin said such strikes will not derail the talks. A Kremlin aide has since warned that massive Ukrainian attacks during the November 4 celebrations could affect Russia's attitude to the negotiations.

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