The second day of tripartite talks between Russia, the United States and Ukraine has begun in Abu Dhabi. TASS reported that delegations from the three countries gathered again in the capital of the United Arab Emirates after meeting there the previous day.
Russia’s delegation is led by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, while Ukraine’s delegation is headed by Foreign Intelligence Service chief Rustem Umerov. U.S. President Donald Trump’s representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are also taking part in the talks. The delegations are expected to hold a press conference after the meeting.
Prisoner exchange and regional security
The first day of talks lasted about four hours. The sides discussed establishing a regional security system after the Ukrainian crisis is resolved. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the previous day’s discussions included a prisoner exchange based on a “1,000-for-1,000” or “1,500-for-1,500” formula.
Announcing the start of the second day, Umerov wrote on social media: “First, we will hold a trilateral meeting with the United States and Russia. This will be followed by a separate meeting with our European allies.”
Moscow opposes European participation
Ukraine insists that representatives of European countries join the negotiation process. Moscow opposes the idea.
Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov previously said that the Abu Dhabi talks would take place with U.S. mediation. The UAE has repeatedly acted as a mediator between Moscow and Kyiv, including in prisoner exchanges.
Photos: Anadolu (cover), Wikimedia Commons (archive). Sources: Anadolu, TASS, statements by Rustem Umerov and Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
