On November 10, trilateral negotiations between Ukraine, the USA, and Russia kicked off in Abu Dhabi, aimed at finding ways to end the war. The first working session lasted over four hours, following which the delegations agreed to continue discussions on November 11. The central themes of the first day were the future security architecture in Europe, security guarantees for Ukraine and Russia, and the possibility of organizing a major prisoner exchange.
Composition of Delegations and Work Format
The Ukrainian side at the talks is led by Rustem Umerov; the delegation also includes Head of the Office of the President Kyrylo Budanov, Davyd Arakhamia, Sergiy Kyslytsya, and Vadym Skibitsky. The Russian delegation is represented by Presidential Aide Vladimir Medinsky, as well as representatives from diplomatic and security agencies. According to sources, the Ukrainian side initially held a separate conversation with European and American representatives, after which a meeting with the Russian delegation took place.
Security Architecture and 2021 'Guarantees'
According to the publication's information, during the negotiations the Russian delegation returned to its proposals regarding changes to the European security architecture, which Vladimir Putin promoted in dialogue with then-U.S. President Joe Biden in December 2021. This referred to the so-called 'security guarantees' that Moscow proposed to enshrine in agreements with the USA and NATO: a refusal of further Alliance expansion, a reduction of the military presence of allies in countries that joined NATO after 1997, and a limitation of military cooperation with post-Soviet states outside the Alliance, specifically Ukraine.
Positions of the Parties Following the First Day
An interlocutor of the publication conveyed the words of the Russian side that, according to their assertion, Biden's refusal to accept the put-forward conditions led to the war; at the same time, the source noted that 'everyone understands that is not the point.' Meanwhile, according to him, the American side during the negotiations tried to understand what exactly Russia fears and what security guarantees it needs. Thus, the first day of work was largely exploratory: the parties outlined their baseline positions and began probing zones for a possible compromise.
Prisoner Exchange and Second Day Agenda
Among the topics of the first day, according to an RBC-Ukraine source, was the preparation of a major prisoner exchange. Sources of the publication expect that on November 11, the talks will discuss a potential ceasefire, energy issues, and security in the Black Sea. The agenda for the second day is thus expected to shift from declarative issues of security architecture to more applied topics directly related to de-escalation.
