'Talks were truly constructive': Ukraine's Presidential Office chief Budanov comments on Abu Dhabi talks
Head of Ukraine's Presidential Office Kyrylo Budanov (photo: Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
Head of Ukraine's Presidential Office Kyrylo Budanov made his first statement on the results of the second round of talks between Ukraine, the United States, and Russia held in Abu Dhabi. He described the consultations as constructive, Budanov said in a comment to RBC-Ukraine.
"The talks were truly constructive. I am grateful to the United States and the UAE for the high-quality organization and mediation," said the head of the Presidential Office, who is a member of the Ukrainian delegation to the talks, in a comment to RBC-Ukraine.
He has not yet disclosed any further details regarding the agreements reached.
What is known about the Ukraine–US–Russia talks in Abu Dhabi
The second round of talks in the Ukraine–US–Russia format took place on February 4 and 5 and lasted two days. Consultations each day continued for nearly five hours.
The negotiations were held in the format of trilateral meetings, working in groups, and subsequent synchronization of positions.
The Ukrainian delegation included Kyrylo Budanov, Davyd Arakhamia, Sergiy Kyslytsya, Andrii Hnatov, Vadym Skibitskyi, and Oleksandr Bevz.
The US side was represented by Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff, as well as Jared Kushner, Daniel Driscoll, and General Alex Grynkewich.
The Russian delegation was led by the head of Russia's military intelligence service, Igor Kostyukov.
After the consultations concluded, Witkoff said that the sides had agreed on an exchange of 314 prisoners. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had previously spoken about an agreement on the exchange and called it a "significant" result.
At the same time, pro-Kremlin media reported new demands from Moscow regarding Donbas, including Russia's desire to secure international recognition of the region as Russian.
How the first round of talks ended
The first round of negotiations between Ukraine, the United States, and Russia took place on January 23–24 in Abu Dhabi. According to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the sides discussed a 20-point peace plan, including the issue of Donbas.
During the consultations, some progress was achieved on military-related issues. No specific decisions were made regarding territorial matters. The participants described the talks as constructive and agreed to continue working, reporting the results to the leadership of their countries.
Energy security was discussed separately during the negotiations. Later, US President Donald Trump announced an agreement on a temporary energy ceasefire. However, on February 3, Russia carried out a massive strike on Ukraine's energy sector, including facilities supplying heat to Kyiv and Kharkiv.
Ukraine called this a violation of the agreements and provided the United States with data on all attacks carried out after the declared pause, expecting a tougher response from Washington to Moscow's actions.
More details on the results of the first round of talks in Abu Dhabi can be found in a separate RBC-Ukraine report.
