Europe Joins U.S.-Led Ukraine Talks in Abu Dhabi Despite Russian Objections
France and other European nations will attend the meeting this week, even after Moscow claimed the trilateral format was fixed.
By Olga Menon ·
France plans to send officials to Abu Dhabi this week to join U.S.-mediated peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, a move that directly contradicts recent statements from the Kremlin. Jean-Noël Barrot, the French foreign minister, confirmed the participation on Sunday. He stated that France would ensure Europe’s voice is heard at the sessions.
The talks are scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday. They had previously been described as a three-way meeting involving only Washington, Moscow, and Kyiv. Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, ruled out a European role earlier this week. He told a Russian news channel on Friday that the trilateral format had already been agreed upon.
Peskov accused European governments of failing to decide who speaks for them. However, he acknowledged that security discussions would eventually require Europe’s involvement. This diplomatic friction follows a meeting on Thursday between President Trump and Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev. Trump suggested a coming agreement might involve all of Europe.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed caution regarding the process. He told CNN on Friday that he had not received specific details about the agreement Trump referenced. Zelenskyy warned that the situation is not simple and can be dangerous. He compared the current dynamic to the 1945 Yalta conference, where leaders divided Europe without consulting all affected nations.
This will be the fourth round of U.S.-brokered talks since the war began. It is the first session since February in Geneva. Progress has been slow as the Trump administration focused on its conflict with Iran. Moscow agreed to return to the table after U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff met President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg in October.
The Russian delegation will be led by Vladimir Medinsky, a hardline aide to Putin. For the first time, the group includes Deputy Foreign Ministers Sergei Ryabkov and Mikhail Galuzin. It also includes 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, a U.S. think tank, noted that some of these Russian officials have previously tried to slow down negotiations or push for stronger demands. The gaps between the two sides remain wide. Russia wants Ukraine to cede territory and drop NATO membership aspirations. Zelenskyy wants clear security guarantees, including who would act 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 that Kyiv accepted. Herbst argued that Putin prefers the process of peace talks to actual peace. He predicted the only outcome might be an agreement to hold another round.
The timing of the talks follows Democratic victories in the U.S. midterms. Zelenskyy suggested this could improve Ukraine’s chances for aid. Russia may also want to lock in the Trump administration’s outline of a deal before a new Congress takes office in January.
The war continued during the diplomatic preparations. Zelenskyy said Russia fired 36 ballistic missiles at the Kyiv area on Saturday night, and only four were intercepted. He accused Moscow of treating diplomacy as a form of aggression. In southern Ukraine, the death toll from a bomb strike on an aid site in Komyshuvakha rose to at least 55.
