The key facts

  • The trilateral talks began on November 10 at 12:12 local time and are scheduled for two days; the first part lasted about two hours.
  • The negotiators promptly report to their capitals “on key points”; the format of the report to Putin will be determined by the Russian delegation.
  • The parties’ agendas differ: Kyiv — strikes on energy, the Black Sea and a possible leaders’ meeting; Moscow — security guarantees.

Start of the round and reporting procedure

A new round of trilateral talks between Russia, the United States and Ukraine began on November 10 at 12:12 local time (11:12 Moscow time) and is scheduled to last two days. The first part of the meeting lasted about two hours, after a break the delegations returned to the discussion. As TASS sources reported, the negotiating teams will promptly report to their capitals during the meeting: “during such talks, reports are sent to the capitals, promptly and on key points.” Details of the meeting were described by Gazeta.Ru and Life.ru.

Composition of the delegations and the agenda

The Russian delegation is led by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, the Ukrainian delegation by Foreign Intelligence Service head Rustem Umerov, while the United States is represented by Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. The main topic announced is security guarantees. At the same time, the parties’ priorities differ publicly: Ukrainian officials specified that Kyiv intends to discuss a halt to strikes on energy infrastructure, security in the Black Sea, and preparations for a possible meeting of the leaders of the two countries. Russia, according to presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov, will raise the issue of security guarantees that will concern not only Ukraine but also the Russian Federation. A source for RIA Novosti added that resolving the conflict in Ukraine will be only one item in a discussion of key aspects of forming a new continental security system.

How the Russian delegation will report

The format for informing the Russian president will be determined by the delegation itself: Peskov explained that, depending on how the talks go, this could be short messages in a “telegraphic” mode or a single detailed report. Earlier, the Kremlin stated that it is precisely the course of the talks in Abu Dhabi that will determine the format of reports to Putin. As of the time the sources’ reports were published, there was no information about the content of the discussions or the results of the first day — the meetings are scheduled for two days, and the outcomes will become known later.