On 10 November, the first day of trilateral talks between Ukraine, the US and Russia on ending the war came to a close in the capital of the United Arab Emirates. The meeting lasted nearly four hours, with the main topics being the cessation of hostilities, security guarantees and a post-war settlement. According to sources cited by «Ukrainska Pravda», the parties managed to reach a preliminary agreement on a large-scale exchange of prisoners of war in the near future, although there has been no official confirmation as yet. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the talks as productive, but acknowledged that much work remains to be done before a peace agreement can be reached. The consultations will continue on 11 November.
- The first day of talks between Ukraine, the US and Russia in Abu Dhabi came to an end on 10 November.
- According to media reports, the parties have agreed on a large-scale exchange of prisoners of war.
- There is as yet no official confirmation of the exchange, its date or the number of participants.
- The main topics were security guarantees, an end to the war and post-war reconstruction.
- Marco Rubio described the meeting as productive, but no peace agreement was reached.
- The next round of trilateral talks will take place on 11 November.
Ukraine and Russia have agreed on a large-scale prisoner exchange
The most significant practical outcome of the first day of talks could be a new exchange of prisoners of war. As reported by «Ukrainska Pravda», citing a source close to the Ukrainian delegation, The parties have reached an agreement to carry out a large-scale exchange in the near future.
The publication’s source did not specify the number of servicemen due to be returned, nor the exact date of the exchange. Neither the Ukrainian nor the Russian side has yet officially confirmed this information.
Humanitarian issues were one of Kyiv’s priorities ahead of the meeting. The Head of the President’s Office Kirill Budanov He had previously emphasised the need to step up efforts to secure the return of Ukrainian servicemen from Russian captivity.
The talks focused on security guarantees for Ukraine and Europe
The main part of the consultations focused on the future security framework following the end of the war. The participants discussed guarantees for Ukraine, the broader European security architecture, and Russia’s demands regarding its own security interests.
The Ukrainian side insists that the first step should be cessation of hostilities. Only then, according to Kyiv’s position, will it be possible to move towards a long-term settlement that will prevent Russia from repeating its aggression.
The territorial issue remains one of the main points of contention. Moscow continues to demand the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from those parts of the Donbas which it does not control. The President Volodymyr Zelenskyy rejects such actions, stating that they will not guarantee lasting peace.
At the same time, no specific decisions regarding borders, the status of the occupied territories or ceasefire mechanisms were announced at the end of the first day.
The US and Europe have agreed on common principles for future agreements
Before the meeting with the Russian delegation, the Ukrainian negotiators held separate consultations with representatives from the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, NATO and the European Commission. They were joined by the American representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
Following these consultations, the participants emphasised that any peaceful settlement must respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as its right to determine its own future.
The parties reaffirmed the need for robust security guarantees and for NATO to retain its central role in Europe’s collective defence.
At the same time, European representatives are not yet directly involved in the negotiations with Russia. The European Commission has stated that no date has yet been set for their possible inclusion in the broader negotiating framework.
Rubio described the talks as productive, but there has been no breakthrough as yet
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio gave a positive assessment of the first day of talks in Abu Dhabi. Speaking to journalists in Paris, he described the talks as very productive, whilst cautioning against expectations of a swift end to the war.
According to Rubio, there is still a considerable amount of work to be done, and the key disagreements cannot be resolved within a single day.
The US is also in favour of further expanding the negotiation process to include European states. According to the Secretary of State, Washington continues to assess the extent to which Moscow is genuinely prepared to end the war.
Talks between Ukraine, the US and Russia will continue on 11 November
The Ukrainian Foreign Intelligence Service has confirmed that the first day of talks has concluded and that the next round will begin on the morning of 11 November.
The Ukrainian delegation is led by the head of the Foreign Intelligence Service Rustem Umerov. Its members also include Kirill Budanov, David Arahamia, Sergey Kislitsa and Vadym Skibitskyi. The American side is represented by Steve Witkoff і Jared Kushner, the Russian delegation is led by Putin’s aide Vladimir Medinsky.
As of the evening of 10 November, the parties had not announced a ceasefire or the signing of a peace agreement. The main possible practical outcome remains the prisoner exchange agreement reported by journalists, the details of which have not yet been made public.
