Putin Has Once Again Sent Medinsky To Negotiate With Ukraine
- 3.11.2026, 13:39
The media saw this decision as an important signal.
Putin’s aide Vladimir Medinsky, known for his theory of an “extra chromosome” in the Russian people, has once again been appointed head of the Russian delegation to the upcoming trilateral talks on Ukraine, which will take place in Abu Dhabi on November 10–11. Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov announced this at a briefing on Tuesday.
According to him, Vladimir Putin currently has no plans to brief Medinsky and other members of the delegation on the upcoming meeting, which will be the first between representatives of Moscow and Kyiv since the Geneva round in February of this year.
“In general, virtually all members of the Russian delegation already regularly report on current issues to the president and receive appropriate instructions from the head of state,” Peskov noted.
Medinsky, a former culture minister who is considered one of the Kremlin’s leading ideologues, is described as a “hardliner” representing the Russian Federation’s position in the negotiations, writes The Moscow Times.
Last June, following a meeting with Ukrainian representatives in Turkey, he stated that Ukraine must accept Moscow’s terms and renounce integration with the West in order to end the war; he also threatened further territorial seizures, insisting that “it is impossible to wage a long war against Russia.” He also claimed that Russia was prepared to fight “as long as necessary” and cited the Russo-Swedish War of the early 18th century, which lasted 21 years, as an example.
Whenever Medinsky heads the Russian delegation, it signals that Moscow wants a “political-ideological” approach to the negotiations, unlike situations where the Kremlin sends military officials and intelligence representatives to meetings, who can discuss territory, peace guarantees, and security issues, notes Marina Falina, a professor at Utrecht University.
It was Medinsky who caused the impasse in the previous round of negotiations earlier this year, sources familiar with the situation told Axios. Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at the time that the former culture minister—author of a propaganda history textbook justifying Russia’s invasion of Ukraine—likes to philosophize about the “historical roots” of the war, just like Putin. “We don’t have time for all this crap; we have to end this war,” Zelenskyy explained.