"There is very good chance of finding solution before New Year," said "Servant of People" Arakhamia following talks in UAE
Davyd Arakhamia, a member of the Ukrainian delegation, reported significant progress in the negotiations with Russia in Abu Dhabi and expressed the hope that solutions would be reached by the end of the year.
He made this statement during a briefing following the talks in the UAE, according to Censor.NET.
Details
"I can safely say that this process was one of the most difficult. I think the Russians came with very, very strict guidelines, and it was very difficult to tone down the discussion in any way at all.
"But I believe that the way in which you (Witkoff and Kushner – Ed.) structured this, taking into account the post-war situation in both countries, opened up space for dialogue, and we began to work more productively," he said.
Arakhamia confirmed that an agreement had been reached with the Russian Federation regarding one of the largest prisoner exchanges.
He also expressed his belief that Europeans should also be represented at the negotiating table.
"I believe that on other issues, which we are currently unable to disclose, we have made very significant progress. ... I believe we have good momentum to find a solution before the new year," added Arakhamia.
Trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi
- On 10 November, talks between delegations from Ukraine and Russia, mediated by the US, took place in the UAE. This is the first such meeting since February 2026.
- Ahead of its meeting with Russia, Ukraine held talks with representatives from the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, NATO and the European Commission, which were also joined by US Special Envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
- The Ukrainian delegation, led by Rustem Umerov, Head of the Foreign Intelligence Service, comprises Kyrylo Budanov, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine; Davyd Arakhamia, Chair of the Servant of the People parliamentary group; Serhii Kyslytsia, First Deputy Head of the Office of the President; and Vadym Skibitskyi, Deputy Head of the Defence Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence.
- The Russian delegation is led by Vladimir Medinsky, an aide to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. Also taking part in the meeting in Abu Dhabi on behalf of the Russian Federation will be Igor Kostyukov and Yuri Zhigalovsky, representatives of two departments of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, and Sergei Ryabkov and Mikhail Galuzin, deputy foreign ministers of the Russian Federation.
- Meanwhile, NATO is represented in Abu Dhabi by Chief of Staff Jeffrey van Leuven, who is the chief strategic adviser to the Alliance’s Secretary-General, Mark Rutte.
- The second day of talks, 11 November, lasted just under two hours.
- Kushner announced that he would meet with Putin on 12 November, followed by a meeting with Zelenskyy.
