Ukraine talks in Abu Dhabi: delegation composition and outlook

Composition of the delegations and format of the meeting

Trilateral talks between representatives of Russia, Ukraine and the United States are scheduled for November 10–11 in Abu Dhabi. According to Ukrainian media reports, the Kyiv delegation will once again be led by Rustem Umerov; it will also include Kyrylo Budanov*, Davyd Arakhamia, Serhiy Kyslytsya and representatives of the military leadership. The Russian side will be headed by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky. Earlier, Life.ru reported that the UAE authorities had prepared a special group to support the talks: its task will be to provide organizational and diplomatic support for the meeting, while the host side does not plan to offer the participants additional political guarantees. Separately, presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov rejected Europe's participation in the talks — the outlet also reported on this.

Assessment of prospects

Political scientist Alexander Dudchak, in a conversation with Life.ru, stated that the preservation of the same core of the Ukrainian delegation gives no grounds to expect a diplomatic breakthrough. In his words, negotiation participants are determined primarily by the positions they hold rather than by personal qualities, so changing the representatives alone would not alter the course of the discussions. «One should absolutely not expect any breakthrough, primarily because Ukraine's positions remain unchanged,» the expert believes. He also believes that the Ukrainian negotiators will adhere to a single position coordinated by the country's leadership, and that Kyiv is oriented toward the interests of its Western partners, primarily London and Brussels. Dudchak also expressed doubt about the prospects of the proposals that, according to Ukrainian sources, may be discussed with US mediation. Note: this is the assessment of one expert, as cited by the outlet, not a confirmed outcome of the talks — the meeting itself has not yet taken place, and no information about its results was available at the time of publication.