Morning opening: Zelenskyy ‘happy’ with US envoys’ approach during Russia talks as day two to begin
Jakub Krupa
Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was “happy” with US mediators’ “changes” in approach during the first day of the trilateral talks with Russia on ending the invasion of Ukraine.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen during an informal conversation at the University of Copenhagen. Photograph: Mads Claus Rasmussen/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP/Getty Images
Speaking in Copenhagen last night, Zelenskyy praised the talks as “constructive and quite substantive,” hoping for more progress to be made today.
But he also hit out at Russia’s assessment of its battlefield strengths, saying Vladimir Putin lives in a “different reality”. In a post on social media, Zelenskyy said Russia has claimed at the talks that they occupied half of the Donbas in Ukraine’s east.
“This is the problem. Putin lives in a different reality,” the Ukrainian president wrote, adding: “I can draw a picture for him too where I fully occupy Russia. But it’s not true. What was good is that the American side confirmed the Ukrainian assessment of what is happening on the battlefield.”
We will hear from him later as he is expected to address the Danish parliament late morning.
US envoys Jared Kushner and businessman Steve Witkoff are mediating the negotiations. Kushner told delegates the US had “narrowed the gaps” between the warring sides, without providing details, and hoped to move towards a “solution” to Europe’s worst conflict since the second world war.
UAE foreign minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, left, speaks to US envoy Steve Witkoff on 10 November. Photograph: Altaf Qadri/Pool AP/AP
Elsewhere, I will bring you the latest from Bulgaria as it marks a national day of mourning after a deadly motorway accident which killed 11 and left over 50 injured, from Latvia and Lithuania after a tricky night with several air threat alerts in both countries, from Portugal as the country braces for the impact of storm Charles, from Spain where a general strike gets under way, and from Poland with its independence day celebrations.
Lots for us to cover today.
It’s Wednesday, 11 November 2026, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
Key events
Back in Abu Dhabi, the Ukrainian negotiating team is now meeting with the European and US envoys for a debrief after the earlier trilateral meeting, a Kyiv delegation source told AFP.
Jakub Krupa
Separately, I am also keeping an eye on Italy, with reports that several schools are being evacuated after receiving bomb threats by emails.
According to Rai and Sky TG24, the email was signed by “Mikhail Andropov” – the same name used in several hoax bomb alarms against European flights last week.
At least 100 schools across the country are affected, according to early reports.
A similar warning was issued last week with over 200 schools hit by disruptions, including many in Rome.
Jakub Krupa
Well, in a way this early wrap is quite timely for us as Zelenskyy is about to take to the podium in the Danish parliament. Maybe he will tell us what’s going on?
We will bring you his speech live.
Erm, that was quick.
Reuters is reporting via sources that the trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi have now concluded.
No point in speculating on what it could mean: they might have agreed on something last night and had to OK it with the ultimate bosses overnight, or…?
Let’s see. We will no doubt hear from them at some point today.
There are few illussions that an immediate breakthrough is possible – snap analysis
Pjotr Sauer
The second and final day of US-brokered peace talks between Russia and Ukraine is underway in Abu Dhabi, with Moscow and Kyiv holding their first direct negotiations in nine months.
First day of the talks yesterday. Photograph: Altaf Qadri/AFP/Getty Images
Both sides have sent high-level delegations, although neither Vladimir Putin nor Volodymyr Zelenskyy is attending.
Ukraine and the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, described the first day of talks as “constructive”, though there are few illusions that an immediate breakthrough is on the horizon.
The biggest obstacle remains Russia’s far-reaching demands, particularly its insistence that Ukraine withdraw from the entire Donbas region, including areas still under Kyiv’s control.
There are also growing fears in Europe that Washington and Moscow could reach a broader agreement that would see Nato scale back its military presence in eastern Europe, potentially leaving allies more vulnerable to Russian pressure at a time of historic tensions with the west.
In an effort to shape the direction of the talks, European leaders have sent several envoys to Abu Dhabi, though they are not believed to be directly involved in the negotiations.
Russia arrests two ‘agents’ of Polish intelligence in Kaliningrad
Separately, Russian security services (FSB) said that two “agents” working for Polish intelligence had been arrested in the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, which borders Poland and Lithuania, AFP reported.
The pair were allegedly part of Poland’s internal security agency and were collecting information on the “servicemen and facilities of the Russian Ministry of Defence”, according to the FSB, which did not disclose their identities or nationalities.
No plans for Russia-EU talks on sidelines of main Abu Dhabi talks, Kremlin says
Meanwhile, the Kremlin said that the Russian delegation at Ukraine peace talks in Abu Dhabi has not been in contact with European representatives there, and that no such contacts were planned.
In a call with reporters, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov also said that Russian president Vladimir Putin is being briefed constantly by the Russian delegation about the talks.
Ukraine wants Russia to stop war before discussing broader security issues
Ukraine has insisted at US-mediated talks with Russia that Moscow end fighting before there can be any discussion on a future security arrangement for Europe, a source in the Ukrainian delegation told AFP.
“Here the positions diverge. We say that we need to discuss the security architecture of the future once hostilities have ceased and security guarantees for Ukraine are in place … Whilst the Russians say the opposite,” the source said.
Kyiv’s chief negotiator Rustem Umerov said on Telegram:
“We are starting the second day of negotiations. First, a trilateral format together with the United States and Russia. After that, we will hold a separate meeting with our European partners. We are working.”
Second day of talks on Ukraine get under way
… and just like that, the second day of the Abu Dhabi talks has just got under way, according to top representatives from Russia and Ukraine.
Delegates attend the UAE-hosted trilateral talks between the United States, Russian and Ukrainian delegations, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates yesterday. Photograph: Rula Rouhana/Reuters
Morning opening: Zelenskyy ‘happy’ with US envoys’ approach during Russia talks as day two to begin
Jakub Krupa
Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was “happy” with US mediators’ “changes” in approach during the first day of the trilateral talks with Russia on ending the invasion of Ukraine.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen during an informal conversation at the University of Copenhagen. Photograph: Mads Claus Rasmussen/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP/Getty Images
Speaking in Copenhagen last night, Zelenskyy praised the talks as “constructive and quite substantive,” hoping for more progress to be made today.
But he also hit out at Russia’s assessment of its battlefield strengths, saying Vladimir Putin lives in a “different reality”. In a post on social media, Zelenskyy said Russia has claimed at the talks that they occupied half of the Donbas in Ukraine’s east.
“This is the problem. Putin lives in a different reality,” the Ukrainian president wrote, adding: “I can draw a picture for him too where I fully occupy Russia. But it’s not true. What was good is that the American side confirmed the Ukrainian assessment of what is happening on the battlefield.”
We will hear from him later as he is expected to address the Danish parliament late morning.
US envoys Jared Kushner and businessman Steve Witkoff are mediating the negotiations. Kushner told delegates the US had “narrowed the gaps” between the warring sides, without providing details, and hoped to move towards a “solution” to Europe’s worst conflict since the second world war.
UAE foreign minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, left, speaks to US envoy Steve Witkoff on 10 November. Photograph: Altaf Qadri/Pool AP/AP
Elsewhere, I will bring you the latest from Bulgaria as it marks a national day of mourning after a deadly motorway accident which killed 11 and left over 50 injured, from Latvia and Lithuania after a tricky night with several air threat alerts in both countries, from Portugal as the country braces for the impact of storm Charles, from Spain where a general strike gets under way, and from Poland with its independence day celebrations.
Lots for us to cover today.
It’s Wednesday, 11 November 2026, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
