Ukraine, US and Russia begin talks in Abu Dhabi — Tagesschau
Trilateral talks involving Ukraine, the United States and the Russian Federation — the aggressor state — begin in Abu Dhabi on November 10. The Ukrainian delegation is heading to the meeting with restrained expectations regarding the possibility of a political decision on a ceasefire or peace, Tagesschau reports.
Goals of the Ukrainian delegation
The Ukrainian negotiating group is headed by Rustem Umerov, the former defense minister and current head of foreign intelligence. Before departing, he named Ukraine’s goals as achieving a lasting and sustainable peace, obtaining security guarantees and enabling the country’s reconstruction after the war.
Illia Kotov, head of Kyiv’s political analytical center, believes that the meeting will primarily concern concrete first steps. Among the possible topics, he named a cessation of hostilities, a sectoral or comprehensive ceasefire, as well as mechanisms for monitoring compliance with it.
Discussion of ceasefire mechanisms
Ukraine had previously proposed various options for an immediate ceasefire, including regarding air strikes, attacks on energy infrastructure, vessels in the Black Sea and port facilities. According to Tagesschau, the Russian Federation has so far rejected such proposals.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
Kotov noted that representatives of Russia’s military intelligence agency, the GRU, and Ukraine’s military intelligence agency, the HUR, had already discussed technical issues of a possible ceasefire in Abu Dhabi. As an example, he cited a regional six-day ceasefire that recently took effect in the Kherson region.
Concerns over US pressure
Ukrainian observers assume that the United States may increase pressure on Kyiv. US President Donald Trump previously spoke of the possibility of a “major deal” that could concern all of Europe, without disclosing details.
Political scientist Volodymyr Fesenko said on NV that new US proposals may contain risks for Ukraine that should be neutralized during the negotiations. He also said that ideas of the US administration may include restoring larger-scale sales of Russian gas to the EU with the participation of American companies, as well as using Russian state assets frozen in the European Union as part of the arrangements. Umerov stressed the importance of coordination with European partners; representatives of the EU and European countries will also be in Abu Dhabi and will remain in contact with the Ukrainian delegation.
