Diplomacy · Miniature Pinscher
Abu Dhabi: first contact on neutral ground, on a very long lead
Der Hündeler, Edition of Wednesday, 11 November 2026
What happened
For the first time in nine months, Russia and Ukraine have negotiated directly with each other again – in Abu Dhabi, mediated by the United States. The talks have ended. A prisoner exchange has been agreed: 1,000 people on each side. On Thursday the US envoys Kushner and Witkoff travel to Moscow to see Putin. European representatives were on site, but the Russian delegation had no plans to meet them. Hardly anyone expects a breakthrough.
What does this mean for your Miniature Pinscher?
The Miniature Pinscher weighs five kilos and believes it weighs fifty; it knows its way around great powers. Every dog school teaches the same thing for cases like this: first contact on neutral ground, on a long lead, with someone holding biscuits in the middle. That is exactly what Abu Dhabi was. Not going for a walk together afterwards is normal. That 2,000 people are to come home is more than most first meetings achieve. For Nora, who takes her walks in Kyiv, something may change one day.
What you can do now: Nothing. Except to remember, at the next dog meet-up, that nine months of silence can be overcome.