Russia Has Replaced Its Delegation For The Talks In Abu Dhabi
2- 8.11.2026, 13:40
- 1,282
ISW analysts explained the Kremlin's strategy.
Russia has updated the roster of its delegation that will participate in trilateral talks with Ukraine and the U.S. in Abu Dhabi. This list of negotiators may reveal a great deal about the Kremlin’s plans for the upcoming meeting.
This was reported by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
On the Russian side, the following will now participate in the talks: Presidential Aide Vladimir Medinsky, Chief of the Main Directorate of the General Staff Admiral Igor Kostyukov, Presidential Aide Yuri Ushakov, as well as Deputy Foreign Ministers Mikhail Galuzin and Sergey Ryabkov.
As analysts point out, Kostyukov led the Russian delegation during the first two rounds of trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi in late January–early February 2026, after which he was replaced by Medinsky, who led the Russian delegation at the talks in Geneva (Switzerland) in February.
At that time, Medinsky was dragging out the negotiation process by discussing the so-called “historical roots” of the war.
Ushakov is a high-ranking Kremlin official who regularly comments on the progress of negotiations with Ukraine and has repeatedly voiced Moscow’s maximalist demands: Ukraine must make unilateral concessions before Russia agrees to hold any meaningful peace talks.
Galuzin was a member of the Russian delegation at the talks in Istanbul (Turkey) as well as in Geneva (in May 2025 and February 2026); he has also repeatedly emphasized the need to address the so-called “root causes” of the war.
Ryabkov did not officially participate in the peace talks, but he often states that Russia can only accept peace proposals that align with Putin’s military objectives and the “realities on the ground” and regularly reaffirms Russia’s commitment to certain agreements with the U.S., allegedly reached following the Alaska summit in August 2025.
He has also been involved in pushing the Kremlin’s ultimatums to NATO, aimed at dismantling the Alliance in its current form—under the pretext of providing Russia with “security guarantees.”
“The fact that the Kremlin is including officials in the delegation who have previously dragged out the negotiation process is further proof that Moscow remains uninterested in good-faith negotiations. Ryabkov’s presence is also notable because the Kremlin may use his experience with the 2021 ultimatums to try to influence the negotiations,” analysts note.
The trilateral meeting is scheduled to take place in Abu Dhabi on November 10–11. The parties intend to discuss ending Russia’s war against Ukraine. These will be the first such talks since February.
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