The key facts

  • Rustem Umerov announced 'huge progress' in talks on security and welfare issues, without details
  • Kushner announced an upcoming prisoner exchange and a trip with Witkoff to Moscow on Thursday to meet Putin
  • Arakhamia called the talks 'among the most difficult' and suggested the format could be expanded to a multilateral one

Outcomes of the talks in Abu Dhabi

Two days of trilateral talks on settling the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, mediated by the United States, have concluded in Abu Dhabi; the sessions began on Tuesday and were the first direct trilateral meeting since the discussions in Geneva in February. The head of the Ukrainian delegation, head of Ukraine's Foreign Intelligence Service Rustem Umerov, said at a joint press conference that 'huge progress' had been achieved in the talks on issues of 'security and welfare,' but gave no details. He also thanked the American envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, noting that over the past year discussions had been held in various formats, including with the participation of Europeans.

Prisoner exchange and the next step — Moscow

Jared Kushner told journalists that together with Witkoff he would travel to Moscow on Thursday for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, where, according to him, they would 'agree on the numbers' for a prisoner exchange agreed upon following the meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday. The head of the parliamentary faction 'Servant of the People' Davyd Arakhamia called the two days of trilateral talks 'among the most difficult' and expressed hope that the upcoming exchange between Moscow and Kyiv would cover a 'large' number of people. According to him, the parties are close to expanding the format from trilateral to multilateral, and there is 'great progress' on other issues that cannot yet be disclosed.

Plans for the next session

Arakhamia called for a date for the next session of talks to be set as soon as possible, proposing to hold it in Dublin after the visit to Moscow: 'we have good momentum to reach a solution before the new year.' There are no specific agreements on the venue and timing of the next round in the information released; the Ukrainian side has not yet disclosed the content of the agreements reached on security.