Russian, Ukrainian and U.S. negotiators resumed trilateral talks behind closed doors in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, Nov. 10, the first such meeting since February. White House envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are mediating, while Moscow signals that it sees the war in Ukraine as only one part of a much larger negotiation over security in Europe.
The first day lasted roughly four to four and a half hours, according to different reports, and a second round was set for Wednesday, Nov. 11. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who was attending a G7 meeting in Paris rather than the talks, called the opening day very productive but said much work remained.
Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky again leads Russia's team. According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, it includes Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov for the first time, along with Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin, military intelligence chief Igor Kostyukov and General Staff officer Yury Zhigarlovsky. Putin discussed preparations with the delegation at a Security Council meeting the previous Friday.
The delegation that arrived was larger than in February, BBC Russian reported, with new members including FSB officials Alexei Komkov and Dmitry Minaev and General Staff information official Alexander Zorin. Medinsky described the team as "bigger and even more professional" but did not explain the additions.
Minaev's presence drew particular attention. Meduza reported that he serves as an expert with the delegation and noted that Ukrainian sources had told The Wall Street Journal that Minaev and his FSB department were behind a failed assassination attempt on Kyrylo Budanov, now head of Zelensky's office and a member of Ukraine's delegation. The allegation has not been verified. Former Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich has written that Minaev escorted the prisoners Russia handed over in the August 2024 East-West prisoner exchange.
Ryabkov's inclusion may reflect the security-heavy agenda, BBC Russian suggested. In 2021 he coordinated Moscow's security demands on the West, which included the withdrawal of NATO forces from countries that joined the alliance after 1997.
Moscow's priorities were spelled out by an anonymous source in its delegation, who said the Ukraine settlement is only one item in a broader discussion whose main goal is a comprehensive and indivisible security architecture for the whole continent. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov rejected another truce without clarity on what comes next, calling it absolutely reasonable to set security parameters first. Peskov had said Russia would not discuss any security models in public.
Kyiv sees the order differently. Chief negotiator Rustem Umerov listed Ukraine's priorities as a cessation of hostilities, reliable post-war security guarantees, economic recovery and humanitarian steps. A source close to the Ukrainian delegation said the war must end before any new European security architecture is built, a view echoed by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. President Volodymyr Zelensky called the first round constructive and fairly substantive but said dealing with the Russians was difficult.
Europeans were in Abu Dhabi but not at the trilateral table. Before the session with Russia, Ukraine's delegation and the U.S. envoys met representatives of Britain, France, Germany, Italy, NATO and the European Commission. Peskov had insisted the talks would be trilateral, though he conceded Europeans would be needed at some stage for mutual security guarantees. European diplomats told the Financial Times that Europe is ready to discuss Cold War-era conflict-prevention mechanisms with Russia, such as missile-deployment limits and the Open Skies Treaty, while doubting a breakthrough.
Territory remains unresolved: Putin demands all of Donbas, while Ukraine refuses to cede land it controls. A U.S. official told Reuters a territorial compromise was possible, which a senior Ukrainian official rejected. According to Axios sources, the White House hopes Putin will be more open to compromise after Washington suspended sanctions on Russian diesel. Ukrainian media sources said prisoners of war were also discussed and a large exchange could be announced, though there was no official confirmation.