Russia links Ukraine's EU bid to staying out of any military alliance at Abu Dhabi talks

Closed-door talks in Abu Dhabi

Russia, Ukraine and the United States held trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi on 10 and 11 November 2026, with American envoys acting as mediators. Russia's delegation was led by Vladimir Medinski, a presidential adviser, while Ukraine's was headed by chief negotiator Rustem Umerov. Sources cited by the Ukrainian outlet Gordon say Medinski used the second day to criticise NATO's eastward expansion. He argued that Western states had pledged after the Soviet collapse not to enlarge the alliance, yet went on to admit several former Soviet bloc countries. According to the same sources, he told the closed-door session that Russia no longer trusts Western assurances on NATO non-expansion. The only concrete results in the joint statements were the release of prisoners and a commitment to keep the communication channel open, with no compromise on territorial or security demands.

Russia's conditions on Ukraine and NATO

Medinski reportedly said Moscow does not oppose Ukraine joining the European Union, provided Kyiv joins no military alliance, whether NATO or a European one. The position echoes earlier moves. In February 2025, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Ukraine had a sovereign right to join the EU, while Russia held a different view on military alliances. In June 2025, during Istanbul talks, Russia presented Ukraine with a memorandum calling for neutral status outside any military bloc, limits on the size of its armed forces and weapons, and the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, a condition for a ceasefire. Moscow has also asked NATO to return to its 1997 configuration, which would mean ending eastward expansion and reducing its presence in states that joined later, according to TheMoscowTimes and RBC-Ukraine citing negotiation sources. Such a return would require removing NATO troops and equipment from 16 of the alliance's 32 current members, and sources cited by The Telegraph said NATO considers the conditions unacceptable.

Washington's European security framework

Jared Kushner, the US negotiator and son-in-law of Donald Trump, has proposed a new European security framework. A joint statement issued after a meeting on 10 November between Ukrainian negotiators, US envoys, and representatives of the UK, France, Germany, Italy, the EU and NATO reaffirmed a commitment to European security arrangements for the period after the war. The statement said any future arrangement must respect Ukraine's sovereignty, territorial integrity and independent decision-making, and must offer credible security guarantees. It also said a strong NATO would remain at the centre of euro-Atlantic collective defence. Two days earlier Trump had said the map of Ukraine could look somewhat different after the talks. US officials, as reported by The Economist, insist the proposals have the backing of European partners and NATO. Ukraine's delegation reportedly rejected a US proposal to redraw certain regional borders.

Prisoner exchange and next steps

Russian Lieutenant General Aleksandr Zorin, cited by TASS, said the exchange could take place within two to three weeks of 11 November 2026 and would involve more than 1,000 prisoners from each side. Kushner told reporters that the parties had agreed to the largest humanitarian release of prisoners so far, with the final figures to be settled on Thursday, 12 November. Medinski and Umerov both said the broad agreement stands in outline, with a detailed count of returning soldiers to be published once technical procedures are complete. Kushner and Steve Witkoff plan to travel to Moscow on Thursday, 12 November, to meet Vladimir Putin, then go to Dublin to meet Volodymyr Zelensky. Kushner described the Abu Dhabi discussions as a positive first step and said the Dublin meeting would deepen some of the ideas the US has put forward.