The European Union has officially confirmed its participation in the negotiations on ending the war in Ukraine, scheduled for November 10-11 in Abu Dhabi. The European Commission and the European Council will send high-ranking officials to the consultations, who will be joined by representatives from France, Germany, and the United Kingdom. At the same time, it is not yet known whether Europeans will take direct part in trilateral meetings between Ukraine, the USA, and Russia.
This was reported by Politico with reference to European officials. The participation of the European Union was also confirmed by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen after a telephone conversation with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy on November 9.
"We also discussed the ongoing peace efforts and negotiations in Abu Dhabi this week, where the EU will be present together with our partners", - stated von der Leyen.
According to Politico, the European Commission will be represented at the talks by Björn Seibert, head of Ursula von der Leyen's cabinet, and the European Council by Anna-Maria Bura, senior foreign policy adviser to its President António Costa.
They will be joined by national security advisers from France, Germany, and the United Kingdom. Their participation was reported to the publication by a representative of the German government and two EU diplomats.
As Financial Times previously reported, representatives from the office of the NATO Secretary General are also expected to take part in separate parts of the talks.
Initially, the meetings in Abu Dhabi were planned to be held in a trilateral format involving Ukraine, the USA, and Russia. However, European governments have become more insistent on their own representation due to concerns that a future peace agreement could affect the entire European security system.
At the same time, the final format of participation of European delegations remains uncertain. According to Politico, a representative of the German government noted that the agenda of the talks will be determined as they progress.
Meanwhile, one EU official told the publication that European representatives will not be seated directly at the table of trilateral negotiations.
Thus, the confirmed presence of Europeans in Abu Dhabi does not yet mean their participation in a joint meeting with representatives of Russia. Consultations may take place in several formats with different compositions of participants depending on the agenda items.
According to Financial Times, European states are seeking to strengthen Ukraine's negotiating position and prevent the peace process from being used to revise the continent's security system at Moscow's behest.
Concerns among European capitals have been heightened by recent statements from US President Donald Trump and his representative Jared Kushner about the possibility of broader agreements regarding the future architecture of European security.
In particular, Kushner raised the issue of forming a new system of security relations after the war. According to FT sources, this initiative was not agreed in advance with European governments.
European countries fear that Russia will try to achieve restrictions on NATO's military presence in Eastern Europe, exercises, and weapons deployment.
Such demands have been made by Moscow before. European governments insist that decisions concerning the security of individual states and NATO cannot be made without the participation of the European countries themselves.
According to FT, European representatives believe that discussions of broader agreements on the security of the continent should take place after the negotiations on ending the war in Ukraine, not simultaneously with them.
Among the main issues that Europeans plan to discuss in Abu Dhabi are security guarantees for Ukraine and an economic plan for its post-war recovery.
Certain contradictions regarding European representation also emerged within the EU. As Politico reports, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni last week addressed European Council President António Costa with criticism of the constant changes in the negotiation format and insufficient coordination among European states.
Her position on broader representation, including the involvement of EU institutions, was supported by Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski.
Earlier, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot also stressed that the future of the European continent cannot be discussed without taking into account the positions and demands of European states.
In preparation for the negotiations, Ukrainian, American, and European representatives have already held consultations in Brussels dedicated to security guarantees and post-war recovery of Ukraine.
According to Financial Times, the talks on November 10-11 may consist of several separate meetings. Their final agenda and composition of participants will be determined depending on the course of consultations.
Later this week, European leaders also plan to discuss coordination of positions on Ukraine and further diplomatic steps.
Based on materials from: Politico, Financial Times, Ursula von der Leyen
