Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Kyrylo Budanov has issued a statement summarizing the two-day trilateral negotiations in Abu Dhabi, held on November 10–11, 2026, with the participation of delegations from Ukraine, Russia, and the United States. According to him, the Ukrainian side spent two days working on finding ways to end the war, with the delegation's primary goal being the achievement of a just peace as quickly as possible. The post was published on Budanov's official account on the evening of November 11 and was cited by Ukrainian media outlets, referencing RBC-Ukraine.
Ukraine's position remains unchanged
Budanov emphasized that the negotiations were "not easy," yet Ukraine's course has not changed. In his words, it is necessary to stop the war and form an effective, "working" security architecture that will guarantee the sustainability of peace and make a repeat of Russian aggression impossible. These three areas—ceasefire, forming a security architecture, and prisoner exchange—were named by the Head of the Office of the President as Ukraine's unchanging priorities at the peace talks.
Prisoner exchange is an unconditional priority
Budanov noted separately that Ukraine has achieved a "substantial result" regarding the return of prisoners, calling it an unconditional priority. According to his data, the sides agreed to hold a new round, the details of which are yet to be discussed. Simultaneously, the head of the Russian delegation, Vladimir Medinsky, issued a statement regarding an agreement on a major prisoner swap, noting that details would be disclosed later. Thus, both sides confirm the existence of an exchange agreement, although they disclose its scope differently in public.
US mediation and UAE venue
Commenting on the progress of the talks, Budanov thanked special representatives of the US President Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff for their "professionalism, persistence, and efforts aimed at finding solutions." He expressed special gratitude to the United Arab Emirates for providing the venue for the two-day summit. The negotiations were held in a trilateral consultation format with the mediation of the American side.
Open questions
At the same time, a number of issues remain without public clarification. Earlier, when answering questions after the second day of negotiations, Budanov did not disclose whether Russia maintains its demand for Ukraine to withdraw from Donbas, limiting himself to explaining what is important for the Ukrainian side. Thus, despite the declared progress on prisoner exchange and the agreement on a new round, key parameters of the peace settlement and security architecture remain the subject of further discussions.
