Europe joins U.S. Ukraine talks in Abu Dhabi despite Russia's objections

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates. European officials will attend the U.S.-mediated peace talks between Russia and Ukraine scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday. France's foreign minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, announced the participation on Sunday, confirming that Paris would be present in the capital of the UAE.

The Kremlin had previously insisted on a strict three-way format involving only Washington, Moscow, and Kyiv. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated on Friday that the trilateral structure had already been agreed upon. He argued that European governments had failed to decide who would speak for the continent, although he acknowledged that security discussions would eventually require European involvement.

Barrot told French radio that France would ensure Europe's voice was heard. He did not specify which French official would represent Paris or whether European delegates would engage in direct negotiations or merely observe the sessions.

This is the fourth round of talks brokered by the Trump administration. It is the first since the meetings held in Geneva in February. The diplomatic process stalled as the U.S. administration focused on its conflict with Iran. Moscow agreed to return to the table after U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg in October. That meeting resulted in the release of an American prisoner, a move interpreted as a response to the lifting of sanctions on Russian diesel exports.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, met with President Trump on Thursday. Trump stated that any coming agreement would involve more than Ukraine and might involve all of Europe. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told CNN on Friday that he had not received details of the agreement Trump referenced. Zelenskyy warned that the situation was not simple and could be dangerous, citing the 1945 Yalta conference where Allied leaders settled Europe's division without consulting all affected parties.

The Russian delegation will be led by Vladimir Medinsky, a senior aide to President Putin who has participated in most talks since March 2022. For the first time, the group will include Deputy Foreign Ministers Sergei Ryabkov and Mikhail Galuzin. They will be joined by 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 suggested that some of these officials had previously sought to slow down negotiations or push harder on Moscow's demands.

Negotiations face substantial gaps between the two sides. Russia demands that Ukraine cede large parts of its territory and renounce NATO membership. Zelenskyy has insisted that security commitments must be clearly defined, including specific actions if Russia attacks again. Former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine John Herbst wrote for the Atlantic Council that Putin had rejected every U.S. proposal Kyiv accepted. He suggested the only likely outcome of the talks would be an agreement to hold another round.

The talks occur as the war continues. Zelenskyy reported that Russia fired 36 ballistic missiles at the Kyiv area overnight Saturday, with only four intercepted. 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.