Arakhamia: Abu Dhabi talks were difficult due to strict instructions from Russian delegation

Assessment of the negotiation process

David Arakhamia, who heads the Servant of the People faction in the Verkhovna Rada, stated that the trilateral negotiations held on 10–11 November in Abu Dhabi (UAE) became one of the most difficult stages of the diplomatic process. According to him, the complexity of the situation was caused by the fact that the Russian delegation arrived at the meeting with extremely strict instructions.

“Насамперед дякую вам, хлопці, за те, що ви зробили. Я думаю, що цей процес… можна справедливо сказати, що це був один із найскладніших. І я вважаю, що росіяни приїхали з дуже-дуже суворими вказівками, і було дуже важко пом’якшити тон обговорення” (First of all, thank you, guys, for what you did. I think that this process… it can fairly be said that it was one of the most difficult. And I believe that the Russians came with very, very strict instructions, and it was very difficult to soften the tone of the discussion), the parliamentarian emphasised during a briefing held on Wednesday after the end of the negotiations.

The role of the American side and progress in dialogue

According to Arakhamia’s assessment, it was the American side that managed to “structure” the discussion, focusing on the post-war perspective for both states. In his opinion, this approach allowed opening up dialogue and making the work more productive.

The politician noted that the meeting itself should be considered an achievement. He recalled that just six months ago, there was a conviction that restoring trilateral negotiations by spring would be impossible.

Achievements in the sphere of prisoner exchange

David Arakhamia placed particular emphasis on the agreement on the exchange of a large number of people. “Гірше, коли доводиться проводити три, чотири, п’ять таких раундів лише для того, щоб звільнити цих людей. Тому я сподіваюся, що завтра цифра буде великою” (It is worse when you have to conduct three, four, five such rounds just to release these people. Therefore, I hope that tomorrow the number will be large), he added, calling the conclusion of such an agreement a significant step.

Course and results of the meetings

As previously reported, the first day of negotiations in Abu Dhabi (Tuesday) ended after lunch, with the duration of the contacts being about four hours. On Wednesday, bilateral Russian-Ukrainian negotiations lasting approximately two hours took place in the UAE capital, as well as a round of discussions with representatives of European countries.

During the meetings, an agreement was reached on a large-scale prisoner exchange. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky informed about plans to exchange “a thousand for a thousand, maybe a thousand and a half for a thousand and a half” in the near future.

The participants focused mainly on issues of security guarantees for Ukraine and Europe as a whole. They also separately discussed Russia’s demands for security guarantees for itself, as well as the issue of Ukraine’s reconstruction and the formation of a new European security architecture in the context of a crisis of trust. In total, the negotiation process lasted about four hours.

Composition of delegations

The Ukrainian side was represented at the negotiations by:

• Head of the External Intelligence Service (SZR) of Ukraine Rustem Umerov;
• Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Kyrylo Budanov;
• his First Deputy Serhiy Kyslytsia;
• Deputy Head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine Vadym Skibitskyi;
• Head of the Servant of the People faction in the Verkhovna Rada David Arakhamia.

From the United States of America, the following participated in the negotiations:

• President Donald Trump’s representatives Stephen Witkoff and Jared Kushner;
• Commander of the US European Command and Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) General Alexus Grynkewich.

The Russian delegation was headed by Vladimir Putin’s aide Vladimir Medinsky. Its composition also included:

• Deputy Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Serhiy Ryabkov and Mykhailo Galuzin;
• Head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation Ihor Kostyukov;
• Deputy Head of the Main Operational Directorate of the Russian General Staff Yurii Zhygarlovskyi.