Melania Trump to host Russian and Ukrainian officials on November 5, trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi on November 10–11

Efforts to end the war in Ukraine are being accompanied by new diplomatic moves, while military operations continue on the ground. On November 5, U.S. First Lady Melania Trump will host Russian and Ukrainian officials at the White House. The White House has described the meeting as an extraordinary moment for America.

As part of the event, Melania Trump is also expected to make a statement on the ceasefire in Oleshky. The statement is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. local time, or 5:00 p.m. U.S. time.

Another diplomatic meeting has been confirmed by Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov: representatives of Russia, Ukraine and the United States will hold trilateral talks on November 10 and 11 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The Russian delegation will be led by Vladimir Medinsky, an adviser to President Vladimir Putin.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is in Berlin, where he plans to meet German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Meetings between NATO representatives and representatives of the United States, France, the United Kingdom and Germany are also scheduled for this week. The discussions will focus on the next steps toward ending the war in Ukraine and securing a just and lasting peace.

At the same time, Ukraine has stepped up strikes against Russian energy infrastructure. Ukrainian forces have struck the Slavneft-Yanos oil refinery with drones. The refinery is in the Russian city of Yaroslavl, about 250 kilometers northeast of Moscow.

The facility is among Russia’s largest oil-processing plants. The strike took place overnight and, according to residents, at least three fires broke out inside the industrial complex.

Russian authorities, for their part, reported that air defenses shot down a total of 856 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones overnight from Monday into Tuesday. The interceptions took place over the Bryansk, Belgorod, Vladimir, Kaluga, Kursk, Novgorod, Oryol, Rostov, Ryazan, Smolensk, Tver, Tula, Yaroslavl and Moscow regions, as well as over Crimea and the Black Sea.

These developments show that attacks on strategic targets and energy infrastructure are continuing despite increased diplomatic efforts to reach a peace agreement. Against this backdrop, the November 5 meeting at the White House and the November 10–11 trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi are now the focus of international attention.