The key facts
- The first day of trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi lasted four and a half hours, with the continuation on the morning of November 11.
- According to UNIAN, citing Budanov's* circle, new stages of prisoner exchanges were discussed; there is no official confirmation.
- Security guarantees are stated as the main topic; EU participation is not envisaged.
Course of the first day of talks
On November 10, the delegations of Russia, the United States and Ukraine held the first day of trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi. According to Life.ru, the meeting lasted four and a half hours, including a break of about 40 minutes; the discussions will continue on the morning of November 11. The Russian delegation is led by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, the Ukrainian one by Foreign Intelligence Service head Rustem Umerov, and the United States is represented by Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
Humanitarian aspect and position on the EU
The Ukrainian outlet UNIAN reported, citing the circle of Kirill Budanov*, head of Volodymyr Zelensky's office, that the parties paid special attention to the humanitarian aspect and discussed new stages of prisoner exchanges. The participants themselves have not yet officially confirmed this information. Security guarantees are stated as the main topic of the talks; EU participation in the discussions is not envisaged. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the European representatives who arrived in Abu Dhabican simply sit in a hotel».
What remains unknown so far
The content of the agreements has not been reported at this point: the information about the prisoner exchange comes from a single source — UNIAN, citing Budanov's* circle — and has not been confirmed by the participants of the talks. The results of the second day, scheduled for November 11, will be the next benchmark for assessing progress.
