Read · November 10, 2026

The U.S., Russia and Ukraine open talks in Abu Dhabi, the first such meeting since February

• From the LeftNPR: NPR has Zelenskyy calling the nearly four-hour talks constructive and Rubio calling them very productive.

  NPR has Zelenskyy calling the nearly four-hour talks constructive and Rubio calling them very productive.

  Grade: A (91/100). Lehrer score 91/100 (starts at 85; +4 named, on-record sources (2+): Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the nearly four-hour talks were "constructive and quite substantive"; U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the talks were "very productive"; +4 other side quoted or given its response: Zelenskyy and Rustem Umerov for Kyiv; Vladimir Medinsky hoped the meeting "will allow us to advance on the path towards peace," and Sergey Lavrov is quoted welcoming collective security on the agenda; +2 key numbers sourced: "nearly four-hour talks"; "Russia launched 162 drones of various types and a ballistic missile at Ukraine overnight, Ukraine's air force said"; Russia's Defense Ministry "downed 155 Ukrainian drones"; +2 context: background or what came before: "The two-day session in the UAE's capital, Abu Dhabi, is the first such meeting since February"; −6 unlabeled claim, analysis or opinion in the outlet's own voice (rule 2/10): "There's nothing to suggest a new posture that would lead to a breakthrough" in its own voice, unsourced). Fixed scale: 90+ A, 80s B, 70s C, 60s D, under 60 F → A.

• CenterCNBC: CNBC leads with Trump seeing a strong inclination to end the war, and an analyst who sees no Kremlin shift.

  CNBC leads with Trump seeing a strong inclination to end the war, and an analyst who sees no Kremlin shift.

  Grade: A (92/100). Lehrer score 92/100 (starts at 85; +4 named, on-record sources (2+): President Donald Trump, William Courtney (former U.S. ambassador, interviewed by CNBC's Dan Murphy) and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are named; +4 other side quoted or given its response: "Russia has publicly maintained its demand that Ukraine surrender the entire eastern Donbas region"; a senior Ukrainian official "rejected suggestions that Kyiv was considering territorial concessions, telling Reuters"; +2 key numbers sourced: Belarusian Cyber Partisans "identified 393,881 deaths"; CSIS "estimated that 400,000 to 450,000 Russian military personnel were killed between February 2022 and June 2026"; +2 context: background or what came before: "headed to Abu Dhabi on Tuesday for the first peace talks since February"; "more than four and a half years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022"; −5 unnamed source on a side point, or a figure with no stated source (rule 11): "A senior Ukrainian official, however, rejected suggestions that Kyiv was considering territorial concessions," with no name). Fixed scale: 90+ A, 80s B, 70s C, 60s D, under 60 F → A.

• From the RightNew York Post: The Post covers the opening in Abu Dhabi, the overnight strikes, and both sides' opening demands.

  The Post covers the opening in Abu Dhabi, the overnight strikes, and both sides' opening demands.

  Grade: A (97/100). Lehrer score 97/100 (starts at 85; +4 named, on-record sources (2+): Jared Kushner, Steve Witkoff, Vladimir Medinsky, Rustem Umerov and Sergey Lavrov are named; Medinsky hoped the meeting "will allow us to advance on the path towards peace"; +4 other side quoted or given its response: Putin's demands to pull back from Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, and that "Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was visiting Denmark on Tuesday, rejects Putin's demands to voluntarily cede territory"; +2 key numbers sourced: "Russia launched 162 drones of various types and a ballistic missile at Ukraine overnight, Ukraine's air force said"; Russia's Ministry of Defense "shot down 155 Ukrainian drones overnight"; +2 context: background or what came before: "The two-day session in the UAE's capital, Abu Dhabi, is the first such meeting since February"). Fixed scale: 90+ A, 80s B, 70s C, 60s D, under 60 F → A.

See it on the Read page · All stories from November 10, 2026 · How we grade · Previous story