Sybiga Outlined Ukraine's Key Demands Ahead of the Abu Dhabi Talks
Ukraine is making serious preparations for the upcoming trilateral meeting of the negotiating teams in Abu Dhabi and expects Russia to take the same stance. Among the key issues are security guarantees, a ceasefire in the energy sector, the situation in the Black Sea, the return of Ukrainian children, and the exchange of prisoners. Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga also emphasized that Europe must participate in the peace process at every stage.
The event was also attended by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas and Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski. According to Sibiga, Ukraine is committed to serious work during the meeting in Abu Dhabi. Kyiv has several key issues it wishes to discuss with the Russian side. First and foremost are security guarantees for Ukraine, de-escalation in the Black Sea, and an energy truce. Other priorities include the return of Ukrainian children and the exchange of prisoners of war.
“Ukraine takes the meeting in Abu Dhabi seriously. Our priorities are security guarantees, de-escalation in the Black Sea, an energy truce, the return of children, and prisoner exchanges. We expect the same level of seriousness from Russia,” the minister stated.
Separately, the foreign minister emphasized that Europe must be involved in the peace process. According to Sybiga, European countries should participate in the process not only during the upcoming meeting but also before and after it. After all, decisions regarding Ukraine and European security cannot be made without the participation of Ukrainians and Europeans themselves. “There can be no decisions about Ukraine without Ukraine, nor about European security without Europe. Therefore, Europe must be part of the peace process—both before and after the meeting in Abu Dhabi,” Sibiga emphasized.
He added that during the meeting in Warsaw, the parties aligned their positions and agreed to maintain close contact in the coming days. According to the minister, this is important for joint work ahead of the negotiations and for further coordination of actions. At the same time, Sibiga stated that Russia’s actions do not yet indicate a willingness to make peace. According to him, Moscow is responding to diplomatic efforts with near-hourly strikes on energy infrastructure, attacks on civilians, and increased pressure on the front lines.
The minister also refuted the Russian leadership’s claims regarding the situation on the battlefield. He stated that the actual events on the front lines differ from how Moscow describes them. According to data cited by Sibiga, Russia lost more than 54,000 troops killed or seriously wounded in October. At the same time, the minister asserted that Ukraine liberated more territory during this period than Russian troops were able to capture.
Sybiga also described the positions of Ukrainian forces on the front lines as the strongest they have been in the last three years. He assured that Ukraine will continue long-range strikes against military and other targets on Russian territory. “Our positions on the front lines are the strongest they have been in three years. We will continue our long-range campaign to bring the war back onto Russian territory. The further Ukraine is able to strike, the closer the end of the war will be,” the foreign minister emphasized. Andriy Sibiga spoke about preparations for the negotiations during a joint press conference in Warsaw.
Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, will lead the Ukrainian delegation at the international talks scheduled for November 10–11 in Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates).
During the upcoming peace talks in Abu Dhabi, Ukraine plans to raise the issue of security guarantees. Other priorities include ending attacks on energy infrastructure, unblocking the “grain corridor,” exchanging prisoners of war, and organizing a meeting of heads of state.
