Lavrov Confirms: Security Will Be the First Item on the Agenda of the Abu Dhabi Talks

Ahead of the trilateral talks between Russia, Ukraine and the US in Abu Dhabi on November 10–11, Sergey Lavrov endorsed Marco Rubio's statement on the priority of security issues and spoke about the composition of the Russian delegation.

Otabek YusupovFirst published on tafs uz 9 November 2026 at 17:312 min read

The key facts

The talks will take place on November 10–11 in a trilateral Russia–Ukraine–US format with US mediation
Lavrov: security issues for Russia, Ukraine and the region are the first item on the agenda
The Kremlin ruled out the participation of European representatives; the Russian delegation includes Ryabkov and Galuzin

The Agenda and Moscow's Position

A day before the resumption of trilateral talks on settling the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov confirmed that the agenda would open with the topic of security. Commenting on the statement by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, he said: “the very agenda of the talks in Abu Dhabi makes security issues for Russia, Ukraine and, overall, security in this region the first item. We can only welcome this approach.” According to him, the discussion should address the interests not only of Russia and Ukraine, but of the entire region. Rubio, for his part, said before departing for the G7 foreign ministers' meeting in Paris that postwar security guarantees for Ukraine and Europe had been raised repeatedly in the talks, and expressed hope for progress on this issue in Abu Dhabi. This was reported by Life.ru; further details are also given by Anadolu.

Format, Participants and Subject of Discussion

The meeting of representatives of Moscow, Washington and Kyiv will take place on November 10–11 in Abu Dhabi in a trilateral format: the US acts as mediator, while the participation of European representatives has been ruled out by the Kremlin — Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced this. The American side will be represented by Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, and the Ukrainian delegation will be led by Rustem Umerov; the Russian delegation has already flown out to the UAE. Lavrov called it “quite natural” that Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov was included in it alongside Mikhail Galuzin, given Ryabkov's expertise in North Atlantic matters and arms control. According to the minister, there is a common understanding that the talks will focus on agreeing on the principles to be approved as a result of the comprehensive settlement process.

Context of Previous Rounds

This will be a new round of mediation talks with US participation: according to Anadolu, Russia and Ukraine have already held three rounds earlier this year — on January 23–24 and February 4–5 in Abu Dhabi, and on February 17–18 in Geneva. Thus, the November meeting returns the negotiation process to the same venue where the first two rounds took place. What exactly can be agreed on security guarantees — the issue Rubio identified as key — will become clear after the two-day consultations.