Russian and Ukrainian working groups are expected to establish dialogue during upcoming talks mediated by the United States in Abu Dhabi, Alexander Asafov said.
Asafov, a Russian State Duma deputy and political analyst, spoke to news outlet Lenta.ru following an announcement by Steve Witkoff, the special envoy to US President Donald Trump. Witkoff confirmed that Washington will act as mediator during working-level negotiations scheduled for November 10 and 11 in the capital of the United Arab Emirates.
According to Asafov, Moscow hopes that the updated format involving the United States will resume dialogue between the two delegations and produce a framework to discuss possible solutions. He said diplomatic work could enter a new phase where concrete parameters under discussion are recorded, rather than focusing solely on ultimatums, political declarations, and other statements from Kyiv.
Framework for negotiations
Asafov explained that if both sides show a readiness to negotiate, they must build a shared discussion agenda. That agenda, he said, should start the process of drafting positions that could eventually precede a meeting between Russian and Ukrainian heads of state.
Any summit between national leaders must be thoroughly prepared and worked out in advance rather than held without clear groundwork, Asafov emphasized. He added that the American mediation announced by Witkoff could play a positive role by introducing a constructive element into the negotiating process.
The prospect of talks also drew praise from Kirill Dmitriev, the Russian president's special representative for investment and economic cooperation with foreign countries. Dmitriev, who heads the Russian Direct Investment Fund, said the international community holds the peacekeeping efforts of the United States in high regard.
Diplomatic role of Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi has increasingly served as a neutral diplomatic meeting ground since the conflict between Russia and Ukraine escalated in February 2022. While early peace talks in Belarus and Turkey stalled without a comprehensive agreement, the United Arab Emirates has leveraged its diplomatic neutrality to facilitate numerous prisoner swaps and humanitarian agreements between the warring sides.
Dmitriev oversees Russia's sovereign wealth fund, which was established by the Russian government in 2011 to co-invest alongside major institutional investors from abroad, giving him longstanding contacts across the Middle East and the West. In Moscow, the State Duma operates as the lower chamber of the Federal Assembly, responsible for crafting legislation and debating foreign affairs.
The working delegations from Moscow and Kyiv are scheduled to convene in Abu Dhabi on November 10 and 11, where diplomats will assess whether American mediation can pave the way toward structured bilateral dialogue.
