G7 diplomats meet in Paris as US opens trilateral Ukraine talks in Abu Dhabi

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha in Paris on Tuesday to discuss defense and security assistance for Ukraine. The meeting occurred the same day that three-way negotiations between the United States, Russia, and Ukraine began in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Sybiha began his schedule in Paris with a bilateral session with Rubio. He then joined the full Group of Seven foreign ministers at the French foreign ministry. The discussions focused on military support, a topic that has generated concern in Kyiv and across European capitals. President Donald Trump's administration has reduced aid levels, prompting requests for renewed commitments from G7 partners.

In Abu Dhabi, U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are meeting with Russian and Ukrainian officials. Their primary goal is to persuade Moscow to accept broader negotiations that include key European representatives. The objective is to formulate a plan to end a conflict that has continued for nearly five years.

European leaders have sought direct participation in the Abu Dhabi sessions. However, two U.S. officials stated on Monday that representatives from Britain, Germany, France, NATO, and the European Union will not join the main trilateral talks. Instead, these groups will meet separately to discuss security guarantees and the long-term security architecture between Russia and Europe.

Russia has maintained that the process should remain strictly trilateral, involving only the United States, Russia, and Ukraine. The last round of these specific talks took place in February. German Foreign Minister Johan Wadephul pushed back against this limited scope during a separate meeting with Rubio in Paris.

Wadephul told reporters, “I am still very grateful to the United States of America for making every effort to get the parties to the conflict to the table. But I made clear again here that Europe belongs at this table. There can be no solution without Europe, only with Europe.” Rubio responded that the U.S. sees eventual European involvement as positive but noted the process has a long way to go.

Rubio told reporters after a day of group and bilateral meetings, “Ultimately, it would be a positive, but we’ve got a ways to go. But, no, it’s good that they’re talking, it’s good that the trilateral talks are on again. It’s better than not having talks.”

Military operations continued on the day before the diplomatic meetings. Russian forces struck Ukraine's power grid on Monday, while Ukrainian forces targeted one of Russia's largest oil refineries. Analysts and humanitarian organizations state the war has killed hundreds of thousands of soldiers and thousands of civilians. No new assistance packages were announced during the Paris meetings.