Russian Embassy to the UK

⚡️ Press briefing by the Russian delegation, led by Presidential Aide Vladimir Medinskiy, following the talks in Abu Dhabi (November 11, 2026)

💬 Vladimir Medinskiy: First of all, on behalf of the entire Russian delegation, I would like to thank the leadership of the UAE and Abu Dhabi for the excellent organisation of the trilateral talks and for creating a friendly, businesslike atmosphere.

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Answers to media questions:

❓ Question: How did the discussion on shaping Europe’s future security architecture proceed?

💬 Vladimir Medinskiy: We believe it is right to raise the question of what will happen after the inevitable end of the conflict in Ukraine.

❗️ Russia has repeatedly raised the issue of European security architecture and the need to establish a new, comprehensive and fair security system in Europe.

We did so in 2008, when we proposed the relevant draft European Security Treaty, and in 2021, when we sent the relevant documents to NATO, the US and European countries.

But, as the saying goes, it is easier said than done.

Many years have passed, and this issue has finally gained attention, with a growing recognition that it must be addressed.

The conflict in Ukraine has shown that the entire European security system in place since Yalta and Potsdam functions very poorly. In essence, the entire body is diseased, and Ukraine is simply where the abscess has burst.

With the US Side participating, we exchanged views. We found common ground on some points, but not on others. This discussion will certainly continue.

☝️ The world needs a new, modern, renewed security system that is fair and does not come at the expense of individual countries. We will work towards that.

❓ Question: EU representatives were also in Abu Dhabi. Did you speak to them, and are any meetings with them planned?

💬 Vladimir Medinskiy: We did not speak to them.

We are not quite sure in what capacity they are here. The talks are being held in the agreed trilateral format.

As for the stance taken by the leadership of a number of European countries, they are, in essence, collectively deceiving the Ukrainian people. They finance and supply weapons to one of the warring parties. In effect, they are contributing to civilian deaths on a massive scale.

We are not quite sure what there is to discuss with them. We have not received a single peace initiative or a single concrete peace proposal from European countries. Therefore, it is unclear what there is to discuss.

They would do well to learn, for example, from the American envoys when it comes to common sense, realism and a desire to achieve peace.

❓ Question: Were humanitarian issues raised during the meeting? In previous rounds held in Turkiye and Switzerland, you managed to reach agreements with the Ukrainians on POW exchanges, for example. Was such an agreement reached in Abu Dhabi?

💬 Vladimir Medinskiy: We have agreed in principle on a new large-scale prisoner exchange. The specific details will be announced shortly.

❓ Question: How do you assess the role of Steven Witkoff and Jared Kushner, and the Trump administration more broadly, in the rounds of talks? What role do you believe they can play in reaching agreements?

💬 Vladimir Medinskiy: The US Side played an active role in the talks. The role of individuals in history matters here. President Donald Trump’s envoys are certainly sincere, effective people and, most importantly, focused on results, rather than empty talk.

What matters is not how we assess them, but how many lives will be saved through their active mediation efforts.

We are therefore very grateful to them as well.

❓ Question: Under what conditions could the Europeans become full participants in the talks? What conditions must they meet to be admitted to the negotiating table?

💬 Vladimir Medinskiy: I think as soon as their conscience awakens, they can become participants in peace talks.

Until then, as I have said, they are taking part in the collective deception of the Ukrainian people and are, in effect, complicit in civilian deaths.

⚡️ On the adoption by the UN General Assembly’s Third Committee of Russia’s resolution on combating the glorification of Nazism

On November 10 in New York, the Third Committee of the 81st Session of the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution put forward by Russia entitled “Combating glorification of Nazism, neo-Nazism and other practices that contribute to fuelling contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance”.

🌐 The resolution was co-sponsored by 45 states: Algeria, Angola, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, China, the Republic of the Congo, Cuba, the DPRK, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Guinea, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lesotho, Mali, Namibia, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Russia, Senegal, Serbia, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Togo, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam and Zimbabwe.

☝️ 117 states voted in favour, 53 voted against and nine abstained. The vote demonstrates the broad international support this key Russian initiative continues to enjoy at the UN.

The resolution’s adoption is particularly significant this year. It marks 80 years since the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg concluded the trial of senior officials of the Third Reich and 25 years since the World Conference against Racism adopted its outcome document, the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action.

The resolution expresses deep concern over any form of glorification of the Nazi movement, neo-Nazism and former members of the Waffen-SS, including the erection of monuments and memorials and the holding of public demonstrations glorifying the Nazi past and neo-Nazism.

❗️ It is particularly alarming that countries of the “collective West”, especially EU member states, where these practices occur regularly, refuse to acknowledge or address them and choose instead to oppose multilateral efforts to combat various forms of intolerance.

The stance taken by the former Axis powers – Germany, Italy and Japan – is of particular concern. Their votes against the resolution show that they have forgotten the tragic lessons of their own 20th-century history. They also cast doubt on the sincerity of their professed humanist values and their commitment to the obligations they assumed on joining the UN.

The resolution makes a practical and substantial contribution to global efforts to eradicate Nazism, racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and all forms of related intolerance.

🤝 Russia expresses its sincere gratitude to all those who stood firm on principle despite the pressure they faced. They reaffirmed that any attempt to revise the outcome of World War II is unacceptable and that the UN Charter and the Judgement of the Nuremberg Tribunal remain inviolable.

Read in full

🖋 Today marks the 205th anniversary of Fyodor Dostoevsky’s birth.

His novels continue to captivate readers around the world through their psychological depth, profound insight and timeless exploration of human nature.

Many British readers are familiar with Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment and The Brothers Karamazov. In 2024, 100,000 copies of his White Nights were sold in the UK. Today, we turn the spotlight on three lesser-known works that reveal the breadth of Dostoevsky’s literary talent.

The Double (1846)
An early exploration of divided identity, this story anticipates one of the central themes of Dostoevsky’s later works. It follows a low-ranking civil servant whose life is thrown into turmoil when a man identical in appearance, but far more cynical and opportunistic, emerges to take his place.

Notes from Underground (1864)
Often regarded as a turning point in Dostoevsky’s literary career and a precursor to his great novels, this novella introduces the figure of the ‘underground man’. In a deeply introspective and often bitter confession, an unnamed former civil servant argues that human beings are inherently irrational and will resist even the most logical rules simply to assert their free will.

A Gentle Creature (1876)
A small masterpiece of Dostoevsky’s later years, described by the author himself as a ‘fantastic story’, despite its lack of supernatural elements. The novella takes the form of a tormented monologue by a man who has just lost his wife and struggles to understand, in the midst of his grief, where he went wrong.

Discover more at Gateway to Russia