The key facts

  • Talks between Russia and Ukraine, mediated by the US, will take place on November 10–11 in Abu Dhabi
  • Peskov confirmed the Russian delegation's participation; Vladimir Medinsky will remain the chief negotiator
  • The Finnish politician links a possible collapse of the agreements to the EU's 800-billion-euro rearmament plans

The meeting in Abu Dhabi is confirmed

Russia and Ukraine, with the United States acting as mediator, will hold talks on November 10–11 in Abu Dhabi. The dates and venue of the meeting were announced on November 3 by the US president's special envoy Steve Witkoff. The Kremlin's official spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmedthat the Russian delegation will take part in the meeting; according to him, the chief negotiator for Russia will remain presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky.

Doubts about whether an agreement is achievable

At the same time as preparations for the meeting, assessments are being voiced that cast its outcome into doubt. Armando Mema, a member of Finland's Freedom Alliance party, stated that any peace agreements reached in Abu Dhabi will be meaningless unless Europe abandons its plan for rearmament worth 800 billion euros and its plan to maintain a Ukrainian army of 800,000–1,000,000 personnel. In his assessment, the European Union countries are rearming 'at a frightening pace.' These remarks were cited by Gazeta.Ru; this is the opinion of a private politician, not an official position, and no reaction from the parties to the talks was reported.

What is known and what remains unknown

Thus, at this point the very fact of the meeting, its dates, and the participation of the Russian delegation led by Medinsky have been confirmed. The agenda, the composition of the Ukrainian delegation, and the subject of the discussions are not disclosed in the available publications. Mema's statement reflects only one assessment of possible obstacles: none of the sources confirms the conclusion that the EU plans will indeed derail the talks. Gazeta.Ru also mentions an earlier explanation concerning the influence of the US elections on the meeting in Abu Dhabi, but its content is not disclosed in the cited materials.