The key facts

  • The talks in Abu Dhabi lasted two days and were the first trilateral round since February
  • Medinsky announced a preliminary agreement on a new large-scale prisoner exchange
  • Kushner and Witkoff travel to Moscow to see Putin on November 12, then will meet Zelensky in Dublin

First trilateral round since February

On November 11, talks involving Ukraine, Russia and the US concluded in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE, after lasting two days. It was the first trilateral round since February. The Ukrainian delegation was led by the head of the Foreign Intelligence Service, Rustem Umerov; it also included the head of the Office of the President Kyrylo Budanov, his first deputy Serhiy Kyslytsia, the deputy head of the GRU Vadym Skibitsky, and the leader of the Servant of the People faction David Arakhamia. The Russian side was led by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky; the delegation included Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov and Mikhail Galuzin, as well as other representatives of military and diplomatic agencies. The US was represented by the president's special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, as well as NATO Supreme Allied Commander in Europe Alexus Grynkewich.

Statements by the parties

Medinsky called the main topic of the talks the 'security architecture' in Europe. According to him, the parties exchanged positions with the Americans' participation: in some areas they reached mutual understanding, in others they did not, and the conversation will continue. He also announced that Russia and Ukraine had reached a preliminary agreement on a new large-scale prisoner exchange; details were promised to be disclosed in the near future. Jared Kushner said that the security system after the end of the conflict was discussed: how to guarantee that the war will not recur, how monitoring of the ceasefire will be carried out, and how to reduce tensions in the postwar period. In his assessment, there has been progress on the issue of security guarantees for Ukraine, but mistrust between the parties remains; all components of a peace agreement exist, and attempts are now being made to combine them into a single whole.

Assessments from the Ukrainian delegation

David Arakhamia said that the talks showed 'good dynamics,' allowing hope for a resolution by the end of the year: 'Before the New Year we have good momentum for finding a solution.' At the same time, he called the talks 'tough,' since the Russian representatives, according to him, arrived with very tough directives that left no room for bargaining. Arakhamia also emphasized that the talks should be not trilateral but multilateral, with Europe's participation. A new date for the round, he said, is to be determined after Witkoff's and Kushner's trip to Moscow and the meeting with Zelensky. Kyrylo Budanov evaded a direct answer to journalists' question about whether the Russian side continues to demand the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Donbas: 'The question raised in the talks is a matter of the talks. Only the result matters. When we achieve it, it will be announced publicly.'