Ukraine's delegation for trilateral talks with Russia in Abu Dhabi has been confirmed by the Office of the President, naming five senior officials who will sit at the negotiating table in the United Arab Emirates capital.
Dmytro Lytvyn, communications adviser to the president, told Interfax-Ukraine that the team will consist of Rustem Umierov, Head of the Foreign Intelligence Service; Kyrylo Budanov, Head of the Office of the President; Serhii Kyslytsia, First Deputy Head of the Office of the President; Vadym Skibitskyi, Deputy Chief of Defence Intelligence of Ukraine; and Davyd Arakhamiia, leader of the Servant of the People faction. Lytvyn added that an analyst from the Foreign Intelligence Service will also work as part of the Ukrainian negotiating team.
The meeting between Ukraine, the United States and Russia is scheduled for 10 and 11 November 2026 in Abu Dhabi. It will be held in a working format, with Washington acting as mediator.
According to the head of the Foreign Intelligence Service, representatives of European countries, specifically the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Italy, will also be present in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday and Wednesday, alongside representatives of NATO and the European Commission.
The United States will be represented at the negotiating table by President Donald Trump's special envoys Steven Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
Russia's negotiating team will be led by Vladimir Medinsky, an aide to the Russian leader. He will be joined by Putin's aide Yury Ushakov, Deputy Foreign Ministers Sergei Ryabkov and Mikhail Galuzin, Igor Kostyukov, head of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, and Yury Zhigarlovsky, Deputy Head of the Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff.
NATO will be represented by Geoffrey van Leeuwen, Head of Cabinet and Director of the Office of the Secretary General. Also participating in the diplomatic track are Björn Seibert, Head of Cabinet for the President of the European Council; Anna-Maria Boura, Chief Foreign Policy Advisor of the European Council; and Günter Sautter, security adviser to the German chancellor. UK National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell arrived in the UAE a few days before the meeting, although his participation in the talks has not yet been officially confirmed.
Earlier, the head of Ukraine's Foreign Intelligence Service reported the negotiating team's departure for the UAE and announced separate consultations with the E4 countries, meaning the UK, France, Germany and Italy, as well as with the leadership of NATO and the European Commission. On the same day, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described a phone call with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as good, saying the two discussed security in the Black Sea and the upcoming Abu Dhabi talks.
Ahead of the negotiations, Trump said a deal to end the Russia-Ukraine war is very close, one that would give Ukraine a, quote, little bit different shape. He did not provide specific details.
