Talks with Russia in UAE were difficult. Ukraine’s position remains unchanged – to end war, - Budanov
The Head of the President’s Office, Kirill Budanov, summarised the outcome of two days of talks with the Russian Federation, mediated by the US, in Abu Dhabi.
Budanov reported this on social media, according to Censor.NET.
Assessment of the negotiations
According to Budanov, over the course of two days in Abu Dhabi, the Ukrainian delegation worked on finding ways to bring the war to an end:
"The negotiations were difficult. Ukraine’s position remains unchanged: the war must be brought to an end, and an effective security architecture must be established to guarantee lasting peace and prevent any recurrence of Russian aggression".
He emphasised that Ukraine’s main objective is "to achieve a just and lasting peace as quickly as possible, to save the lives of Ukrainians and to guarantee the security of our state", and this, he said, is precisely what Ukrainians expect from the delegation.
Outcome regarding prisoners of war
Budanov described the return of prisoners of war to their homes as a separate area of the negotiations:
"We have made significant progress on this issue. The return of every Ukrainian remains our absolute priority".
Budanov thanked US Special Envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff for their "professionalism, perseverance and efforts to find solutions", as well as the United Arab Emirates for facilitating the negotiation process and supporting peace efforts.
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.
- US Special Representative Jared Kushner announced that he would meet with Putin on 12 November, followed by a meeting with Zelenskyy.
