Peace talks in Abu Dhabi brought Ukrainian and Russian delegations together on Tuesday, November 10, for four hours of discussions that yielded no breakthrough on ending the war. nra.lv reported that Ukrainian Presidential Office Head Kyrylo Budanov met face-to-face with Dmitry Minaev, a counterintelligence official from Russia’s Federal Security Service whom Ukrainian intelligence links to a 2019 assassination plot.
Delegations gathered at the five-star Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental hotel in the capital of the United Arab Emirates. The trilateral format involved Ukrainian, Russian, and US representatives discussing potential terms for ending the conflict, according to nra.lv.
The talks focused primarily on humanitarian issues, including prisoner exchanges, the return of Ukrainian civilians, and security guarantees, nra.lv reported.
Dmitry Minaev leads the counterintelligence operations department of Russia’s Federal Security Service, known as the FDD, and participated as part of the Russian delegation, nra.lv reported. Ukrainian intelligence records tie Minaev to a bomb attack targeting Budanov on April 4, 2019, in Kyiv, when two Russian nationals attempted to place an explosive under a vehicle belonging to Budanov before the device detonated prematurely.
Jauns.lv reported that the Ukrainian delegation in Abu Dhabi was led by Foreign Intelligence Service Head Rustems Umerov. The Ukrainian team also included Presidential Office Head Kyrylo Budanov, First Deputy Head Serhii Kyslytsya, Main Directorate of Intelligence Deputy Head Vadym Skibitskyi, and Servant of the People parliamentary faction leader Davyd Arakhamia.
The Russian delegation was led by Presidential Aide Vladimir Medinsky, according to Jauns.lv. The media outlet said that Medinsky asserted in 2013 that the Russian people possessed one more chromosome than others to justify special endurance and historical paths.
Jauns.lv reported that the Russian negotiating team included Deputy Foreign Ministers Sergei Ryabkov and Mikhail Galuzin, FDD Operational Information and International Relations Department Head Alexei Komkov, and Russian Armed Forces General Staff Main Directorate Head Igor Kostyukov.
Negotiations between Ukraine, the US, and the Russian Federation have begun in Abu Dhabi. The head of the Ukrainian delegation, Umerov, noted that key issues regarding the cessation of hostilities and bringing peace closer are on the agenda. Work is underway in accordance with… pic.twitter.com/1SUSCvt1XT
nra.lv said that three members of the Russian delegation were born in modern Ukrainian territory. That group comprised Presidential Aide Vladimir Medinsky, military intelligence Lieutenant General Alexander Zorins, and FDD General Dmitry Minaev.
Budanov looked almost amused, as if he recognized yet another provocation by Russian President Vladimir Putin, “Le Monde” reported regarding Budanov’s reaction to encountering Minaev at the venue.
Russia continued to object to Ukraine’s demand for a ceasefire during the four-hour session, according to nra.lv. Core positions between the two sides remain sharply divided regarding the fundamental terms required to halt the conflict.
Neither delegation announced a follow-up meeting date following the conclusion of the four-hour session on Tuesday, November 10.
Officials have not yet published the full text or draft proposals regarding prisoner exchanges and civilian returns.
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