Key facts
- Russian and Ukrainian negotiators met in Abu Dhabi on November 10, the first direct talks in nine months.
- One official said a prisoner exchange was discussed but has not been finalized, contrary to some reports.
- Zelenskyy said the teams discussed security guarantees needed to stop Russia attacking Ukraine again.
- The US is asking Russia whether it would accept NATO-like collective defense commitments for Ukraine, per the report.
- Russian state media reported the talks lasted 4.5 hours and were conducted in Russian.
- US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the talks were productive but not on the verge of being solved.
Russian and Ukrainian negotiators met in Abu Dhabi on November 10, restarting face-to-face talks on ending the four-and-a-half-year war after a nine-month break, according to POLITICO.
The first day focused on what security guarantees Ukraine and Russia want after the war ends. The two sides discussed an exchange of prisoners, but one official familiar with the matter, granted anonymity because the meeting was confidential, said it has not been finalized, contrary to some reports. On the second and final day, November 11, negotiators are due to turn to the question of territory.
US officials who convened the meeting say privately that both Russia and Ukraine have shown at least some readiness to be flexible on land. The US is asking Russia whether it would consent to America providing Ukraine with NATO-like commitments to collective defense, or for NATO to sign such an agreement itself.
Zelenskyy posted on X that the meeting was constructive and quite substantive. He said the teams had time to discuss the need and possible parameters for humanitarian steps, adding that the release of prisoners is a priority, and that real tools are needed to block any recurrence of the war.
Russian state media reported the talks ended after 4.5 hours and were conducted in Russian. The UAE foreign minister and NATO's top commander in Europe were also at the table. Earlier on November 10, European representatives held talks with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, and the European side agreed with the Americans to review Europe's wider security architecture as part of the peace process, a step toward meeting one of Russia's central demands.