Second day of talks between Ukraine, the US and Russia in Abu Dhabi: ceasefire, energy and security in the Black Sea

On Wednesday, November 11, trilateral talks between Ukraine, the United States, and Russia on a possible end to the war will continue in Abu Dhabi. The main topics of the second day will be a ceasefire, energy security, and the situation in the Black Sea. At the same time, Moscow is trying to bring back to the discussion its demands for a European security system, which it put forward back in 2021.

What will be discussed during the second day of the talks

According to sources, on November 11, representatives of the three states will focus on several key issues:

the possibility of a cessation of hostilities and the establishment of a ceasefire;
ensuring energy security;
guaranteeing the safety of shipping in the Black Sea;
further steps towards resolving the war.

According to Russian media reports, the meeting was scheduled to begin at 10:00 Kyiv time.

At the same time, Western media suggest that after the negotiations, American representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner may visit Moscow and then Kyiv to continue diplomatic consultations.

The first day of the negotiations: what was agreed upon

The first round of trilateral negotiations took place on November 10 and lasted approximately four and a half hours.

Following its results, the parties agreed to continue the consultations the next day. At the same time, no detailed official reports on the agreements reached were made public.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the negotiations as constructive and substantive, but emphasized the complexity of the dialogue with the Russian side.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who did not personally participate in the meeting, also positively assessed the negotiation process, noting that a significant amount of work remains ahead.

One of the main topics of the first day was the discussion of the future system of security guarantees for Ukraine and Europe.

Prisoner exchange: large-scale formats being considered

Special attention was paid during the negotiations to the issue of the return of prisoners of war.

According to President Volodymyr Zelensky, the parties discussed the possibility of a large-scale exchange in the formats of “1000 by 1000” or “1500 by 1500”.

There are currently no final agreements on conducting such an exchange.

It is expected that American representatives will continue discussing this issue during subsequent contacts with the Russian side.

Russia again raised the territorial issue

During the first day of the negotiations, the Russian delegation also raised the issue of Ukrainian territories.

Volodymyr Zelensky stressed that territorial issues should be discussed directly at the level of state leaders.

In addition, according to RBC-Ukraine, Moscow’s representatives returned to the demands for changing the European security architecture that the Kremlin put forward to the United States and NATO back in December 2021.

These demands included a refusal to further expand NATO, a reduction in the Alliance’s military presence in countries that joined after 1997, and restrictions on military cooperation with non-NATO states, including Ukraine.

According to the publication’s source, the Russian delegation tried to link the start of a full-scale war with the refusal of the then US President Joe Biden’s administration to agree to these demands.

American representatives, in turn, tried to find out Moscow’s position on the need for security guarantees.

Will Europe participate in the negotiations

On the eve of the trilateral meeting, the Ukrainian delegation held separate consultations with representatives of the US, the European Union, NATO and leading European states.

Representatives of Great Britain, France, Germany and Italy joined the discussion.

At the same time, the issue of Europe’s direct participation in the negotiations with Russia remains open.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that European partners must determine their representative to participate in the negotiation process by the end of November.

According to him, it is desirable to make a corresponding decision during the meeting of the coalition of the willing in Germany on November 19.

The Russian side opposes the involvement of representatives of the European Union. However, according to Politico, the United States insists on the presence of the EU at the negotiating table.

Who represents Ukraine, the United States and Russia

The Ukrainian delegation is headed by the head of the Foreign Intelligence Service Rustem Umerov.

The negotiating team also includes the head of the President’s Office Kirill Budanov, the head of the Servant of the People parliamentary faction David Arakhamia, the first deputy head of the OP Serhiy Kyslytsia and the deputy head of the GUR Vadym Skibitsky.

The American side is represented by special envoys of the US President Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.

The Russian delegation is headed by Vladimir Putin’s aide Vladimir Medinsky. It also includes representatives of the Russian General Staff, the FSB, military intelligence and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Negotiations are currently ongoing, and no final agreements on ceasefires, territorial issues, or security guarantees have been announced. Further outcomes will depend on the positions of the parties and further diplomatic consultations.