Europe joins 36-missile shadow as Ukraine talks begin
French and other European officials will attend the US-brokered meeting in Abu Dhabi despite Kremlin objections, even as Russian attacks intensify in Ukraine.
By Amit Ricci ·
European leaders will attend the US-brokered peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi this week, defying Moscow’s objection that the meeting should remain a three-way session. France’s foreign minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, confirmed Sunday that Paris would send a delegation to ensure Europe’s voice was heard.
The talks are scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday. Until now, US officials described the meetings as a trilateral format involving only Washington, Moscow, and Kyiv. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov had ruled out a European role, stating that the three-party structure had already been agreed upon.
Barrot did not specify who would represent France or whether European officials would participate in direct negotiations or simply observe. He told French radio that France would be present and that Europe’s position would be clear.
President Donald Trump recently met with Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev. Trump suggested that a coming agreement would involve more than just Ukraine and might include all of Europe. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded by warning that the lack of clear details made the situation dangerous. He compared the potential exclusion of affected nations to the 1945 Yalta conference.
This will be the fourth round of talks brokered by the Trump administration and the first since February in Geneva. Previous meetings have made limited progress, partly because the US administration shifted its focus to the war with Iran. Moscow agreed to return to the table after US envoy Steve Witkoff met with President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg in October.
Russia’s delegation will be led by Vladimir Medinsky. For the first time, the group will include Deputy Foreign Ministers Sergei Ryabkov and Mikhail Galuzin, as well as military intelligence chief Igor Kostyukov. The Institute for the Study of War noted that some of these officials have previously sought to slow down negotiations or push harder for Moscow’s demands.
The gaps between the two sides remain wide. Russia has demanded that Ukraine cede large parts of its territory and renounce NATO membership. Zelenskyy has insisted that any security commitments must clearly define who would act and how if Russia attacked again. John Herbst, a former US ambassador to Ukraine, argued that Putin prefers participating in peace talks to pursuing actual peace.
As officials travel to the Middle East, the war continues. Zelenskyy said Russia fired 36 ballistic missiles at the Kyiv area overnight Saturday. Ukraine intercepted only four. In southern Ukraine, the death toll from a guided-bomb strike on an aid distribution site in Komyshuvakha rose to at least 55.
