Key facts
- Russia's delegation will be led by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, the Kremlin said.
- Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov will join the negotiations for the first time.
- Ukraine's delegation will be led by Rustem Umerov, head of the Foreign Intelligence Service.
- The talks are the first round of trilateral U.S.-mediated negotiations since February.
Russia will send a delegation led by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky to U.S.-mediated peace talks with Ukraine in Abu Dhabi on November 10-11, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on November 7, according to Reuters. The delegation includes Deputy Foreign Ministers Sergei Ryabkov and Mikhail Galuzin, military intelligence chief Igor Kostyukov, and senior General Staff officer Yury Zhigarlovsky.
Ryabkov, who oversees Russia's relations with the United States and arms control issues, will join the negotiations for the first time. Medinsky, Galuzin and Kostyukov have taken part in previous rounds. Bloomberg reported that the expanded delegation could signal Moscow's willingness to engage in more substantive discussions covering political and military issues.
Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed preparations for the talks with members of his Security Council on November 6, with the officials selected for the delegation attending the meeting. Ukraine's delegation will be led by Rustem Umerov, head of the Foreign Intelligence Service, as David Arakhamia, head of President Volodymyr Zelensky's parliamentary faction, confirmed to the Kyiv Independent on November 6. The delegation will also include Zelensky's chief of staff Kyrylo Budanov and Arakhamia.
The meeting will mark the first round of trilateral U.S.-mediated negotiations between Ukraine and Russia since February. The diplomatic efforts come as Russian missile and drone strikes against Ukrainian cities and energy infrastructure continue, with Washington pushing for a negotiated end to Russia's full-scale invasion.