Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Interfax news agency that Russia's delegation for next week's talks with the United States and Ukraine will include senior diplomats and military officials. The trilateral meeting, set to take place in Abu Dhabi to discuss ending Moscow's war against Ukraine, is scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday. This will be the first such talks since February.
The Russian delegation will be headed by Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky as chief negotiator. For the first time, the group will include Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, who oversees Russia's relations with North and South America and is responsible for arms control, non-proliferation, and issues related to Iran's nuclear programme. The delegation will also include Yuri Zhigarlovsky, a senior General Staff officer who serves as a deputy chief of the Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff, the body responsible for military planning and operations. Igor Kostyukov, who has joined past missions, will also be included.
All members of the delegation met Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday at a Russian Security Council meeting that was partly devoted to the upcoming talks. During the televised portion of the meeting, Putin thanked the United Arab Emirates for hosting the negotiations and said he wanted to discuss preparations for the talks with the Russian team. Most of the meeting took place behind closed doors, with the Kremlin showing only the opening minutes, as is customary for such gatherings.
US negotiators have been seeking a breakthrough in the long-running conflict before the winter sets in. The last US-mediated peace talks took place in February before the United States and Israel launched a war against Iran.
