NATO representative to join Abu Dhabi talks between Ukraine, Russia and US
Photo: Geoffrey van Leeuwen, Director of the NATO Secretary General's Office (Getty Images)
NATO will be represented at the November 10-11 talks in Abu Dhabi by Geoffrey van Leeuwen, Director of the Alliance's Secretary General's Office, a NATO official told RBC-Ukraine on condition of anonymity.
As previously announced by US President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff, the first trilateral meeting between Ukraine, the US, and Russia since February is scheduled to take place in Abu Dhabi on November 10 and 11 as part of efforts to end the war.
According to Witkoff, the parties plan to discuss future security arrangements, de-escalation, humanitarian issues, and further steps toward achieving peace.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's team has already finalized the full composition of Ukraine's delegation. According to a source familiar with the matter who spoke to RBC-Ukraine, it will include:
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Rustem Umerov, head of the Foreign Intelligence Service (FIS), who will lead the delegation;
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Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Presidential Office;
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Davyd Arakhamia, leader of the Servant of the People parliamentary faction;
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Sergiy Kyslytsya, first deputy head of the Presidential Office;
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Vadym Skibitskyi, deputy chief of Ukraine's Defense Intelligence (HUR).
An analyst from the Foreign Intelligence Service team will also take part in the talks.
According to available information, the Russian delegation will include Russian leader Vladimir Putin's aide Vladimir Medinsky, who will lead the delegation; Admiral Igor Kostyukov, head of the Main Directorate of the General Staff; Putin's aide Yuri Ushakov; and Deputy Foreign Ministers Mikhail Galuzin and Sergei Ryabkov.
European representatives are also expected to travel to Abu Dhabi. According to Politico, the European Union will send representatives from the European Commission and the European Council to the meeting.
The European Commission will be represented by Ursula von der Leyen's chief of staff, Björn Seibert, while the European Council will send Anna-Maria Boura, chief foreign policy adviser to European Council President António Costa.
National security advisers from France, Germany, and the United Kingdom are also expected to take part in the talks.
However, it remains unclear whether European representatives will be physically present in the negotiation room.
The Russian side insists that the meeting in the UAE will take place in a trilateral format involving Ukraine, Russia, and the US as a mediator.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there are separate channels for communication with the Americans and Europeans, but the upcoming talks in the UAE are specifically planned as a trilateral meeting.
