Russia to send senior diplomats, military officials to upcoming peace talks in Abu Dhabi
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Russia will send senior diplomats and military officials to U.S.-mediated peace talks with Ukraine in Abu Dhabi on Nov. 10–11, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Nov. 7, according to Reuters.
The Russian delegation will be led by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky and will include Deputy Foreign Ministers Sergei Ryabkov and Mikhail Galuzin, military intelligence chief Igor Kostyukov, and senior General Staff officer Yury Zhigarlovsky.
Ryabkov, who oversees Russia's relations with the United States and arms control issues, will join the negotiations for the first time, while Medinsky, Galuzin, and Kostyukov have participated in previous rounds.
The expanded delegation could signal Moscow's willingness to engage in more substantive discussions covering political and military issues, Bloomberg reported.
Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed preparations for the talks with members of his Security Council on Nov. 6, with the officials selected for the delegation attending the meeting.
Ukraine's delegation will be led by Rustem Umerov, head of the Foreign Intelligence Service, as David Arakhamia, head of President Volodymyr Zelensky's parliamentary faction, confirmed to the Kyiv Independent on Nov. 6.
The delegation will also include Zelensky's chief of staff Kyrylo Budanov and Arakhamia.
The upcoming meeting will mark the first round of trilateral U.S.-mediated negotiations between Ukraine and Russia since February.
The renewed diplomatic efforts come amid continued Russian missile and drone strikes against Ukrainian cities and energy infrastructure, as Washington pushes for a negotiated end to Russia's full-scale invasion.
