Ukraine intends to pay special attention to humanitarian issues during the trilateral talks with the US and Russia, which will take place on November 10–11 in Abu Dhabi. One of the main tasks of the Ukrainian delegation will be to intensify prisoner exchanges and reach agreements on the return of Ukrainians held by Russia.

This was announced on November 9 by the Head of the Presidential Office, Kyrylo Budanov, who is heading to the United Arab Emirates as part of the Ukrainian negotiating delegation.

According to Budanov, Kyiv hopes that the upcoming meeting will allow achieving concrete results in the humanitarian sphere, even if the parties fail to quickly agree on broader terms for ending the war.

“We plan to pay great attention to the humanitarian track. It is necessary to intensify prisoner exchanges. I expect that the dialogue in the UAE will yield practical results and we will be able to agree on the next stages of bringing our people home,” — said the head of the Presidential Office.

Budanov stressed that Ukraine is interested in ending the war as soon as possible and hopes for constructive dialogue with all participants in the negotiation process.

He also thanked the United Arab Emirates for facilitating the organization of the meeting. The Head of the Presidential Office expressed special gratitude to the American side, in particular to representatives of US President Donald Trump Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner for their participation in diplomatic efforts.

The talks on November 10–11 will be the first trilateral round between Ukraine, the US, and Russia after a prolonged pause that had lasted since February 2026.

The Ukrainian delegation will be headed by the Head of the Foreign Intelligence Service, Rustem Umerov. Besides him and Budanov, the negotiating group includes First Deputy Head of the Presidential Office Serhiy Kyslytsya, Deputy Chief of the Main Intelligence Directorate Vadym Skibitsky, and the head of the parliamentary faction “Servant of the People” David Arakhamia.

Among other issues the parties plan to discuss in Abu Dhabi are a possible cessation of strikes on energy infrastructure, the safety of shipping in the Black Sea, security guarantees, and further diplomatic steps to end the war.

Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Ukraine has prepared proposals for potential outcomes of the negotiations and has handed them over to the American side.

At the same time, the specific parameters of a possible prisoner exchange, the number of people, and the timing of their return have not been announced yet. Budanov expressed hope that the relevant agreements can be reached directly during the talks.

Based on: Kyrylo Budanov, Office of the President of Ukraine.