US demands a seat for Europe at Ukraine peace talks
Donald Trump’s envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff will press Russia in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday to give Europe a direct role in the next round of talks on ending the war in Ukraine and on the continent’s security. They are mediating the first trilateral discussion with Russia and Ukraine since February. U.S. officials, speaking anonymously, said Washington wants this week’s meeting to be the last without Europe’s full participation and then to bring Europeans into the process. One official said Europe must be at the table.
Senior European officials will be in Abu Dhabi and are expected to be consulted, but they will not sit in the main negotiations because of Russian objections. Those present include security advisers from the United Kingdom, Germany and France, plus officials from Italy, NATO, the European Commission and the European Council. European governments and EU institutions will have little time to decide who should speak for them. EU leaders are due to take up that divisive question at an informal summit in Dublin later this week. The United States welcomed direct calls to Vladimir Putin on 27 October by the leaders of Finland and Norway and said more European contact with Moscow is needed so Europeans hear the same messages the U.S. side is hearing.
Day one of the talks is to focus on security guarantees for Ukraine and a possible reshaping of Europe’s security architecture; day two on territorial questions and other issues. U.S. officials said NATO would remain central to Europe’s collective defense, with Secretary-General Mark Rutte heavily involved in reform ideas, while still arguing for a fundamental rethink of relations with Russia. Both sides have shown private flexibility on Russian-occupied territory. The aim is to keep momentum rather than produce a final ceasefire, and the territorial and security tracks must be resolved together. In a Politico interview, Norwegian leader Jonas Gahr Støre said he does not expect a major breakthrough in Abu Dhabi.
Continue in the app — vote & join in ➔