The US officials are pushing for Russia to agree to the participation of European countries in the next round of talks to end the war in Ukraine. Washington wants the current trilateral meeting in Abu Dhabi to be the last without full European participation.
Politico writes about this, citing American officials.
According to them, the US Presidentʼs son-in-law Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff will raise the issue of Europeʼs participation during the talks between Ukraine, the US and Russia in Abu Dhabi on November 10.
"We need Europe at the negotiating table. Thatʼs why we propose to bring the Europeans into the discussion after this tripartite meeting," said one of the officials.
Meanwhile, European countries have yet to decide who should represent them in negotiations with Russia, a question EU leaders plan to discuss at an informal summit in Dublin this week.
The Ukrainian delegation arrived in Abu Dhabi on November 10, where two-day peace talks with the US and Russia are scheduled.
"We are trying to ensure that the negotiations these days are productive. Ukraine and partners are determined to work meaningfully for the sake of de-escalation steps, the development of effective security guarantees, and the approach of real peace. It is necessary that the Russian position be similar," wrote President Volodymyr Zelensky.
These days, representatives of Europe are also in Abu Dhabi — security advisors from Great Britain, Germany and France, as well as representatives of Italy, NATO, the European Commission and the European Council.
In particular, as a NATO official told Babel, the Alliance will be represented at the negotiations by the Chief of Staff of the NATO Secretary General, Geoffrey van Leeuwen.
But due to Russian objections, the Europeans are not participating in the main negotiations.
According to Politico, the first day of the talks is dedicated to security guarantees for Ukraine and the future European security system. The second day is planned to discuss territorial issues.
What the EU says
Amid the talks in Abu Dhabi, Ukraine, the United States and European partners held a separate meeting on the morning of November 10 on security guarantees and conditions for ending the war. The participants stressed that any peace agreement must respect Ukraineʼs sovereignty, territorial integrity and right to self-determination, the European Commission reported.
The parties also discussed the future European security system and mechanisms for preventing new conflicts. They confirmed that NATO will remain the basis for the collective defense of the Euro-Atlantic area.
"European partners, Ukraine and the United States will continue to cooperate closely throughout the negotiation process. Their common goal is to move to broader multilateral negotiations with the participation of European partners and achieve a comprehensive and lasting peace," the European Commission emphasized.
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