In a statement on Saturday, the Kremlin announced the composition of the Russian delegation that will attend the new round of US‑mediated trilateral Ukraine peace talks in Abu Dhabi, slated for 10‑11 November. The delegation is led by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky and features senior officials from the foreign ministry and the armed forces.
According to spokesman Dmitry Peskov, the roster includes deputy foreign ministers Sergey Ryabkov and Mikhail Galuzin, GRU chief Igor Kostyukov, and Yury Zhigarlovsky, deputy head of the Russian General Staff’s Main Operational Directorate. Yury Ushakov, another presidential aide for foreign policy, will "oversee the upcoming negotiations" in his capacity as a senior adviser.
Delegation Composition
The announced group reflects a mix of diplomatic and military expertise. The inclusion of two deputy foreign ministers signals an emphasis on high‑level diplomatic engagement, while the presence of senior military intelligence and operational officers indicates that Russia intends to bring substantive security and strategic perspectives to the table. The delegation had already met in an operational session held by President Vladimir Putin with members of the Security Council a day earlier; Peskov noted that officials who participated in that meeting would be enlisting in the upcoming talks.
Context of the Talks
This Abu Dhabi conclave is the latest in a series of trilateral meetings between Moscow, Kyiv and Washington. A US‑mediated round took place earlier in the year, with two sessions held in Abu Dhabi on January 23‑24 and February 4‑5, and a third in Geneva on February 17‑18. The current talks, scheduled to begin on Tuesday, aim to advance the peace process and address humanitarian concerns, a goal that Putin publicly acknowledged during the Security Council meeting.
During the Moscow session, President Putin expressed gratitude to the United Arab Emirates for its support of a settlement to the Russia‑Ukraine war and for helping to address humanitarian issues in conflict zones. In turn, the UAE is expected to host the talks and provide diplomatic infrastructure for the three‑party dialogue.
Ukraine’s negotiation team, reportedly headed by Foreign Intelligence Service chief Rustem Umerov, will likewise travel to Abu Dhabi. The composition of the Russian delegation signals that Moscow intends to present a unified front, combining diplomatic vigor with intelligence and operational insights, as it seeks to influence the unfolding peace process. With the trilateral talks underway next week, observers will watch closely how the roster of officials shapes the discussions and potential outcomes.
