The key facts

  • Russia and Ukraine agreed on a new major prisoner exchange; parameters will be announced in the near future
  • The territorial issue remains the main obstacle; there is no mutual trust between the parties
  • 'Significant progress' is claimed on security guarantees for Ukraine, with no details disclosed

Outcomes of the two-day talks

Talks between Ukraine, the US and Russia, held in Abu Dhabi on November 10–11, have concluded. Head of the Russian delegation Vladimir Medinsky said that Russia and Ukraine reached a preliminary agreement on a new large-scale prisoner exchange; the exact parameters of the exchange will be announced 'in the near future.' Member of the Ukrainian delegation Davyd Arakhamia said, in his words, that this exchange could become the largest one.

Territories and security guarantees

The territorial issue was supposed to be the main topic of the second day of talks, but it remained 'the main obstacle,' as US representative Jared Kushner stated. In the view of the American negotiators, there is still no mutual trust between the parties. Medinsky, meanwhile, emphasized that Russia 'will take back every one of its territories.' On security guarantees for Ukraine, Kushner noted 'significant progress,' while head of the Ukrainian delegation Rustem Umerov spoke of 'huge progress' without providing details. According to Ukrainian sources, Russia's demands regarding security guarantees were already discussed on the first day, but what agreement, if any, was reached is unknown.

European security and possible timeline for an agreement

Medinsky called the European security system the central topic of the talks: according to him, on a number of issues it was possible to 'find common ground,' while on others it was not. He assessed the situation sharply critically, stating that 'essentially the whole organism is sick,' that in Ukraine it is 'festered with inflammation,' and that 'a plaster will not be enough here.' At the same time, the Russian delegation in Abu Dhabi had no contact with the Europeans, and Russia, by its own admission, does not understand in what capacity they are present there. Despite the remaining disagreements, Ukraine does not rule out that an agreement with Russia could be reached 'before the New Year.'