Europe joins U.S.-led Ukraine talks in Abu Dhabi despite Russian pushback
French officials confirmed they will attend the fourth round of negotiations, challenging the Kremlin's stance that the meeting should remain a three-way session between Washington, Moscow, and Kyiv.
By Daniela Ortega ·
European government representatives are scheduled to attend the fourth round of U.S.-brokered peace talks between Russia and Ukraine this week in Abu Dhabi. France's foreign minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, announced the decision on Sunday. He stated that France would be present to ensure Europe's voice was heard during the sessions, which are set for Tuesday and Wednesday.
The Kremlin had previously objected to the inclusion of European powers. Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, said the trilateral format involving only the United States, Russia, and Ukraine had already been agreed upon. Speaking to a Russian news channel on Friday, Peskov accused European leaders of failing to determine who would speak for them, although he acknowledged that security discussions would eventually require Europe's involvement.
The addition of European officials changes the structure of a meeting that was originally described as a three-way session. President Donald Trump hinted at this broader scope on Thursday after meeting with Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev. Trump said a coming agreement would involve more than Ukraine and might include all of Europe. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded on Friday that he had not received specific details of the agreement Trump referenced. He warned that the situation could be dangerous, drawing a parallel to the 1945 Yalta conference where Allied leaders settled the division of Europe without including several affected countries.
These talks in the United Arab Emirates mark the first negotiations since a round in Geneva this February. The U.S. administration has brokered three prior attempts at a resolution, but progress has been limited. Recent attention from the U.S. government shifted toward its conflict with Iran, which reduced the momentum for a breakthrough in Ukraine. Moscow agreed to return to the table after U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff met with President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg in October. During that meeting, Putin announced the release of an American prisoner from a Russian jail, a move seen as a reciprocal gesture to Trump's decision to lift sanctions on Russian diesel exports. Ukraine opposed those fuel sales, arguing they helped replenish Russia's war funds.
The Russian delegation for the Abu Dhabi talks will be led again by Vladimir Medinsky, a senior aide to Putin who has participated in most discussions since March 2022. This group includes new members: Deputy Foreign Ministers Sergei Ryabkov and Mikhail Galuzin, as well as Yury Zhigarlovsky, a deputy head of the General Staff's operations directorate, and military intelligence chief Igor Kostyukov. While this senior lineup suggests Russia may be ready to address difficult political and military issues, the Institute for the Study of War noted that some of these officials have previously sought to slow down talks or push harder for Moscow's demands.
The core disagreements between the two nations remain substantial. Russia has demanded that Ukraine cede large portions of its territory and give up its bid for NATO membership. Zelenskyy has insisted that any security commitments be clearly defined, specifying who would act and how if Russia attacked again. John Herbst, the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, wrote in an op-ed for the Atlantic Council that Putin has rejected every U.S. proposal that Kyiv accepted. He suggested that the only likely outcome of the current talks is an agreement to hold another round.
Political dynamics in the United States are also influencing the timing of these negotiations. The talks follow Democratic victories in the recent midterms, a development Zelenskyy said could improve Ukraine's chances of receiving more U.S. aid. Russia may be looking to lock in the Trump administration's proposed deal terms before a Democratic-controlled Congress takes office in January. A potential trilateral meeting between Trump, Chinese leader Xi Jinping, and Putin at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen later this month is also under discussion, though details are not yet clear.
The war continued on the ground as diplomats prepared to travel to the United Arab Emirates. Zelenskyy reported that Russia fired 36 ballistic missiles at the Kyiv area overnight Saturday, with only four intercepted. He accused Moscow of treating diplomacy as a form of aggression. 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.
