Despite the lack of complete clarity on the horizon for a complete and final peace between Russia and Ukraine following the end of the round of talks between the two sides of the conflict in this format in the Emirati capital, Abu Dhabi, Washington confirmed, through its special envoy Steve Witkoff, that it sees signs of progress in the efforts aimed at ending the war. "No one thought we would resume the tripartite talks," Witkov said, referring to the talks that brought together Ukraine, Russia and the United States in Abu Dhabi. The American envoy added, saying, “But this is what actually happened, and we have set a date for a new meeting,” without providing any details. During the meeting, Russian President Vladimir Putin reaffirmed his country's territorial claims. Ukrainian media confirmed a prisoner exchange agreement between Kiev and Moscow, and other media, such as the Interfax-Ukraine news agency, reported on this matter without going into details, noting that no official confirmation was issued in this regard.
The continuation of the war poses a special challenge to US President Donald Trump, who has made ending the Ukraine war a personal issue. This is what the Swiss German newspaper “Neue Züricher Zeitung” said (November 9, 2026), saying, “A politician who two years ago boasted of his ability to end the war in Ukraine in one day cannot have any credibility with regard to his predictions. However, Trump’s statements did not come out of nowhere, as the Ukrainian file has recently witnessed a noticeable dynamism in diplomatic efforts. The United States has succeeded in bringing Ukraine and Russia together to agree One table to hold the first tripartite talks between them in nine months (...) and there on an old controversial issue, including the conditions for reaching a ceasefire, as Russia has long demanded the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces, without fighting, from the remaining parts of the Donbas region, a demand that Kiev categorically rejects, and it is still unclear how any rapprochement between the two parties can be achieved, but this American-Russian-Ukrainian meeting is only one of at least three ongoing negotiating tracks.
Berlin advocates European participation in the negotiations
The German government announced that it expects Europe to participate directly in any future round of negotiations with Russia. She confirmed that Russian President Vladimir Putin will be informed of the agreement reached in this regard between the Europeans participating in the Abu Dhabi talks and the United States. The Europeans in Abu Dhabi did not hold any direct talks with the Russian side. Berlin explained that discussions with Washington regarding the establishment of a future European-Atlantic security structure resulted in an agreement on four principles.
He explained that the first principle is to determine the sequence of negotiations, so that the upcoming talks focus first on achieving peace in Ukraine, and then move on to discussing the security system that can then prevail in Europe and the Euro-Atlantic region. The second principle relates to agreeing on the context of the negotiations, as it was agreed that Ukraine would be “an integral part of the Euro-Atlantic security architecture.” The third principle that was agreed upon with the United States is consensus, which means that any agreement must obtain the approval of all members. If a consensus cannot be reached among NATO members, “it will not be possible to implement these understandings,” according to a German government spokesman. It is noteworthy that Germany is considered Ukraine's first European partner.
In this regard, the German newspaper "Handelsblatt" wrote (November 4th) commenting, "Cooperation between German and Ukrainian arms companies contributes to maintaining the front lines, and also allows Ukraine to direct strikes against Russia deep within its territory. However, Germany and most of its European allies have almost completely lacked capabilities in the field of air defense, which is of utmost importance with the beginning of the fifth winter of the war. The missiles of the effective "Patriot" system still come mainly from the United States, while German "winter aid" is no longer available. There is little consolation in the areas hit by Russian missiles. With the advent of the fifth winter of the war, Ukraine has little choice but to cling to its “first partner” and its European allies, but it remains questionable whether this will be enough, in the absence of strong support from Washington, to prevent the imposition of a “dictated peace” (peace with coercive Russian conditions) by Moscow.
Releasing prisoners is a top priority
Russia and Ukraine agreed to conduct a broad exchange of prisoners of war, according to what the two sides announced at the conclusion of the Abu Dhabi talks. Jared Kushner, son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, said after the conclusion of the talks in Abu Dhabi, "One of the positive points is that we agreed to carry out the largest humanitarian operation to release prisoners." The head of the Russian delegation, Vladimir Medinsky, and the head of the Ukrainian delegation, Rustam Omerov, confirmed the planned agreement regarding the prisoner exchange process, although Medinsky indicated that the agreement was still “in principle.” On his part, Deputy Chief of the Information Department of the Russian General Staff, Alexander Zorin, who participated in the talks, told Russian state television that the expected exchange process would be one of the largest exchanges of its kind, after the return of a thousand soldiers to their country during the past year. Zorin added that the new exchange process may take place within the next two or three weeks.
In this regard, the European "Aronnews" network wrote, commenting, "Prisoner exchanges, since the start of the invasion in February 2022, are one of the few areas that have witnessed practical cooperation between Kiev and Moscow. At the same time, the intensity of fighting has increased on many fronts of confrontation. Since the outbreak of the war, Ukraine has made the return of its captured soldiers its main demand. However, the exchange of prisoners should not hide that peace is still far away despite President Trump's repeated promises." By achieving it.
In this regard, the Spanish newspaper El Mundo wrote (November 6th) commenting, “A few days before the start of the negotiations in Abu Dhabi, in which Washington may exploit its role as a mediator as a pressure tool to push Kiev toward surrender, the Russian Air Force dropped a three-ton bomb on a shelter that contained civilians (..) The negotiations in Abu Dhabi must lead to a ceasefire that obligates Moscow to end its bombing of civilians and infrastructure. (..) Ultimately, any agreement requires security guarantees that precisely define the nature of the military support that Ukraine will receive in the event that Putin launches a new attack, and also specifies the parties that will commit to providing this support.”
European conditions for holding security talks with Moscow
A majority of European countries expressed their unwillingness to hold talks with Russia on key security issues until after the end of the war in Ukraine. This came in a declaration signed by 39 countries during a European summit held in Dublin. The declaration supports consideration of measures to manage and reduce security risks, but it stipulates that peace be restored and the necessary conditions be created before those talks with Moscow can begin. These discussions are likely to extend to include military risks and hybrid wars, such as sabotage operations and disinformation campaigns. Russia has previously called for reducing NATO's military presence near its borders. The declaration, titled “Declaration of Basic Principles of European Security,” stresses that any settlement or decisions concerning Ukraine must be with the participation of Ukraine itself, and that self-determination of European security is an inherent right of the Europeans. The declaration also calls for strong and reliable security guarantees to Ukraine.
In its comment on the nature of these guarantees and the support that the Europeans must provide to Ukraine, the Budapest newspaper “Nepszabadsag” wrote (November 13): The issue today is no longer limited to how the European Union provides assistance to Ukraine, but extends to include what the old continent can learn from this creative country, which has been withstanding Russian attacks for nearly five years. While excessive regulations in the European Union hinder the process of innovation, Ukraine, Hungary's eastern neighbor, shows a superior ability to adapt daily to changing circumstances (...) Of course, Ukraine is not perfect, as in addition to the war, the country faces a huge number of other problems. However, its people are fully determined to join the alliance of liberal democracies, seeking for citizens to live in peace and security. If other European countries also seek peace, they must continue to support Ukraine without retreat. Moreover, it should learn from this nation, which is a step ahead of us in the areas of innovation, deregulation, and adaptability.”
