On November 11, 2026, Umerov, a member of the Ukrainian negotiating delegation and director of the Foreign Intelligence Service, said that two-day trilateral talks among Ukraine, the United States and Russia ended that day in the United Arab Emirates. The parties reached an agreement on a large-scale exchange of captured personnel, but “major differences remain.”
Umerov said in a social-media post that the main outcome was the agreement on the large-scale exchange and that the parties are finalizing the details and advancing implementation. Returning captured Ukrainian personnel home as soon as possible remains one of Ukraine’s highest priorities, he said. The three parties also discussed achieving peace and Ukraine’s postwar reconstruction. The primary task is to end the war and ensure security guarantees for Ukraine.
“After two days of negotiations, the parties were able to directly state their positions. Major differences still exist. A large amount of arduous work remains to be completed, and there are also opportunities to continue advancing the negotiation process,” Umerov said.
Analysts believe that although the parties agreed on a large-scale exchange of captured personnel, no substantive progress was made on ending the conflict, territorial disputes, Ukraine’s security guarantees, postwar reconstruction, or European participation in the negotiations.
Medinsky, head of the Russian negotiating delegation and an aide to the Russian president, said on November 11 that Russia and Ukraine differ on the participation of European countries. He said the Russian delegation had no contact with European representatives in Abu Dhabi and that the talks were trilateral among Russia, the United States and Ukraine.
Ukraine favors broader participation. Arakhamia, a member of the Ukrainian negotiating delegation, said in Abu Dhabi that day that negotiations on the Ukraine issue should be multilateral and that European countries should take part.
