What the Composition of the Ukrainian and Russian Delegations at the Negotiations in Abu Dhabi Indicates

Ukraine and Russia will return to the negotiating table in Abu Dhabi on November 10-11, nine months after their last round mediated by the United States. The composition of the delegations provides insight into what each side hopes to achieve. Kyiv largely maintains the same team that participated in previous rounds, emphasizing continuity in its course towards a ceasefire as the first step towards a comprehensive peace agreement. Moscow, for its part, is sending high-ranking military officials and diplomats, including Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov. He helped develop Russia's security demands to NATO shortly before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. His inclusion in the delegation suggests that the Kremlin intends to expand the negotiations beyond the Ukrainian agenda - potentially discussing a broader security architecture in Europe. This is especially pertinent after the U.S. president indicated that a future agreement could extend beyond the Ukrainian conflict. ## ## Ukraine Still Pursuing a Ceasefire The Ukrainian delegation will once again be led by the head of the Foreign Intelligence Service, Rustem Umerov, who played a key role in previous negotiations with Moscow. He will be joined by the head of President Volodymyr Zelensky's office, Kyrylo Budanov, the leader of the parliamentary faction of the ruling presidential party "Servant of the People," David Arakhamia, and the first deputy head of the president's office, Serhiy Kyslytsia. Arakhamia was in Washington last week and attended a meeting at the White House on Thursday hosted by First Lady Melania Trump after a humanitarian ceasefire in the Russian-controlled Oleshky. All four participated in previous rounds of negotiations, ensuring continuity as Kyiv seeks to achieve a ceasefire and agree on guarantees for future deterrence of Russian aggression. Ukraine has repeatedly stated its readiness to consider various options for a ceasefire, emphasizing that a broader agreement must protect its sovereignty and provide real security guarantees. The virtually unchanged composition of the negotiating team indicates that Kyiv intends to maintain this line and does not plan to significantly revise its position ahead of the resumption of negotiations. ## ## Russia: Familiar Faces The Russian delegation will again be led by presidential aide and former culture minister Vladimir Medinsky, who represented Moscow in previous negotiations with Ukraine. A staunch supporter of the invasion of Ukraine, Medinsky edited a three-volume textbook "Military History of Russia," published in January 2025, where the war in Ukraine is presented as a continuation of the Soviet struggle against Nazi Germany. The book, aimed at schoolchildren, claims that the Russian Federation was "forced" to invade Ukraine in February 2022 due to NATO's expansionist policies and the ousting of pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych in 2014, which it describes as a "Western-backed coup." In the three-volume work, Ukraine is depicted as an "aggressive anti-Russian foothold," with a particular emphasis on "heroism on the battlefield" and historical parallels between today's military actions and the tactics of the Soviet army during World War II, which is referred to in Russia as the "Great Patriotic War." In 2014, when Russia first invaded Ukraine, Medinsky, then serving as culture minister, prepared a document asserting that "Russia is not Europe" and claiming the moral inferiority of the rest of the continent. This is not the first time Medinsky has sought to emphasize Russia's superiority over other countries. In 2013, he stated that Russia's "resilience" in the face of all the disasters of the 20th century indicates that the Russian people "have an extra chromosome." His return to the delegation indicates continuity in Moscow's approach to negotiations. At the same time, the involvement of high-ranking diplomats and military officials raises questions about a possible expansion of the discussion agenda. Among the new participants is Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov, who is joining the negotiations for the first time. Ryabkov oversees Russia's relations with the U.S., as well as arms control and non-proliferation issues, including those related to Iran's nuclear program. He was actively involved in preparing Russia's security demands presented to the U.S. and NATO in December 2021, shortly before the start of the full-scale invasion by the Russian Federation. Those proposals included a halt to further NATO expansion, including potential membership for Ukraine, as well as restrictions on the alliance's military presence in Eastern Europe, essentially demanding a rollback to NATO's positions before 1997. Moscow also demanded limits on military exercises and missile deployments, as well as restrictions on nuclear weapons stationed outside their countries of origin. The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) suggested that Moscow might leverage Ryabkov's experience in working on these demands to undermine Ukraine's efforts to secure post-war security guarantees. The American analytical center also noted the negotiating experience of other Russian delegates, including Medinsky and Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin. Both had previously insisted that any settlement must take into account what Moscow calls the "root causes" of the war. ISW concluded that the composition of the Russian delegation raises doubts about the Kremlin's readiness for substantive negotiations. Ryabkov's participation comes just days after U.S. President Donald Trump met with Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev at the White House and stated that a future agreement could extend beyond Ukraine. "There will be an agreement. It will be a big agreement, and it will not just concern Ukraine," Trump said at the time, adding that it could potentially encompass all of Europe. Although neither Washington nor Moscow has clarified whether broader NATO security mechanisms will be on the agenda, Trump's statements and Ryabkov's appointment have once again drawn attention to this possibility. Russia is also sending Yuri Zhigarlovsky - Deputy Chief of the Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff, responsible for military planning and operations. The Russian delegation met with President Vladimir Putin on Friday at a Security Council meeting that was partially dedicated to preparations for the negotiations. The presence of high-ranking military and diplomatic officials suggests that discussions may cover a wide range of political and security issues, although it remains unclear whether Moscow is willing to compromise on its longstanding demands.