Europe Joins U.S.-Brokered Ukraine Peace Talks in Abu Dhabi
French officials will attend the four-round negotiations despite Moscow's earlier insistence on a strictly trilateral format involving only Washington, Moscow, and Kyiv.
By Hassan Ellis ·
European leaders will participate in the U.S.-mediated peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi this week, a move that directly contradicts the Kremlin's previous stance. Jean-Noël Barrot, the French foreign minister, confirmed Sunday that Paris intends to ensure Europe's voice is heard during the sessions.
The talks are scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday in the United Arab Emirates. They mark the fourth round of negotiations brokered by the Trump administration and the first since a previous set of meetings in Geneva earlier this year. The original plan called for a three-way session involving only the United States, Russia, and Ukraine.
Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, had ruled out a European role on Friday. He stated that the trilateral format had already been agreed upon and accused European governments of failing to decide who represents them. He did acknowledge, however, that security discussions would eventually require European involvement.
President Trump met with Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev on Thursday and suggested the coming agreement might involve all of Europe. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told CNN on Friday that he had not received details of this proposed deal. He warned that the situation was dangerous and compared it to the 1945 Yalta conference, where Allied leaders divided Europe without consulting all affected nations.
The U.S. delegation is led by special envoy Steve Witkoff. He said the agenda will cover postwar security arrangements, conflict de-escalation, and humanitarian issues. This follows a limited ceasefire brokered by First Lady Melania Trump that allowed aid to reach a town under Russian occupation.
Russia's delegation will be headed by Vladimir Medinsky, a hardline aide to President Vladimir Putin who has participated in most talks since March 2022. For the first time, the Russian team includes Deputy Foreign Ministers Sergei Ryabkov and Mikhail Galuzin. They are joined by Yury Zhigarlovsky, a deputy head of the General Staff's operations directorate, and military intelligence chief Igor Kostyukov.
The Institute for the Study of War noted that some of these Russian officials have previously worked to slow down negotiations or push for stronger Moscow demands. This suggests the expanded lineup may not signal a sudden readiness to resolve political and military disputes.
The gaps between the two sides remain wide. Russia demands that Ukraine cede large parts of its territory and renounce NATO membership. Zelenskyy insists that any security commitments must clearly specify who would act and how if Russia attacked again.
John Herbst, a former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, wrote for the Atlantic Council that Putin has rejected every U.S. proposal accepted by Kyiv. He argued that the primary outcome of the talks may simply be an agreement to hold another round. The meetings occur after Democrats won midterm victories, which Zelenskyy believes could improve U.S. aid prospects for Ukraine.
As officials travel to Abu Dhabi, the war continues. Zelenskyy reported that Russia fired 36 ballistic missiles at the Kyiv area overnight Saturday. Only four were intercepted. In southern Ukraine, the death toll from a guided-bomb strike on an aid distribution site in Komyshuvakha on Monday rose to at least 55.
