Kyiv and Moscow are heading to Abu Dhabi to explore the possibility of a peace agreement in the Ukraine war. New negotiations are taking shape under renewed pressure from Donald Trump, the President of the United States, with negotiating teams set to meet on November 10.
Details of the Negotiations
Volodymyr Zelensky, the President of Ukraine, has announced that the agenda for this meeting should include initial steps to reduce tensions, such as prisoner exchanges and a ceasefire regarding energy infrastructure and the Black Sea. There should also be discussions about the format of future meetings among the three leaders — Trump, Zelensky, and Vladimir Putin.
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Security Guarantees and Territorial Issues
One of the important questions for Ukraine is what kind of security guarantees it will receive from Europe and the United States or NATO. Zelensky does not want to accept anything that could expose Ukraine to future Russian attacks. Putin will likely raise the need for security guarantees for Russia and the limitation or return of NATO presence in the region.
Zelensky has also indicated that defining borders, whether temporary or permanent, should only be discussed at the leadership level. In past negotiations, he expressed Ukraine's readiness to discuss the establishment of a demilitarized “buffer zone” on both sides of the contact line in the Donbas region as a solution.
European leaders emphasize that they must be present in the final negotiations, as they currently provide a significant portion of Ukraine's financial and military support. Zelensky and U.S. officials also acknowledge that European governments will likely need to participate in discussions regarding security guarantees.
There are many questions about Europe's representation during decision-making, and some leaders have independently addressed this issue. For example, Alexander Stubb, the President of Finland, and Jonas Gahr Støre, the Prime Minister of Norway, had a 90-minute conversation with Putin.
The importance of these negotiations and efforts to resolve the Ukraine crisis comes as Trump's attention to Ukraine may be affected amid other controversies. Zelensky has expressed hope that developments in the Middle East will not hinder the Abu Dhabi meeting.
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