Europe joins Ukraine talks in Abu Dhabi despite Kremlin objections

European officials are set to join the U.S.-mediated peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi this week. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot confirmed the attendance on Sunday. This move comes after the Kremlin insisted that European powers had no role in the meeting.

The meetings are scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday in the United Arab Emirates. They were originally framed as a three-way session involving Washington, Moscow, and Kyiv. Barrot told French radio that France would be present to ensure Europe’s voice was heard. He did not specify who would represent Paris or if European officials would negotiate or simply observe.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov had ruled out a European role earlier in the week. Speaking to a Russian news channel on Friday, he claimed the trilateral format was already agreed upon. He also accused European governments of failing to decide who speaks for them. Peskov acknowledged, however, that security talks would eventually require Europe’s involvement.

This is the fourth round of talks brokered by the Trump administration. It is the first since meetings held in Geneva this February. Previous sessions have made little progress. The Trump administration’s focus on its war with Iran has also reduced expectations for a breakthrough. Moscow agreed to return to the table after U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff met with President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg in October.

Russia’s delegation will be led again by Vladimir Medinsky, a senior aide to Putin. For the first time, the group includes Deputy Foreign Ministers Sergei Ryabkov and Mikhail Galuzin. Also attending are Yury Zhigarlovsky, a deputy head of the General Staff’s operations directorate, and military intelligence chief Igor Kostyukov. This more senior lineup may suggest Moscow is ready to address political and military questions.

The gap between the two nations remains wide. Russia has demanded that Ukraine give up large parts of its territory and renounce NATO membership. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has insisted that any security commitments be clearly spelled out. He wants to know who would act and how if Russia attacked again. Zelenskyy warned on Friday that the process could be dangerous, comparing it to the 1945 Yalta conference.

While officials prepare for talks, the war continues. Zelenskyy said Russia fired 36 ballistic missiles at the Kyiv area overnight Saturday. Only four were intercepted. He accused Moscow of treating diplomacy as a form of aggression. In southern Ukraine, the death toll from a guided-bomb strike on an aid site in Komyshuvakha on Monday rose to at least 55.

The talks also happen against the backdrop of shifting U.S. politics. Democrats won the midterms, a development Zelenskyy said could improve Ukraine’s chances of more U.S. aid. Russia may also want to push for the Trump administration’s outlines of a deal before a Democratic-controlled Congress takes office in January. Additionally, a trilateral meeting between Trump, Chinese President Xi, and Putin is being discussed for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen later this month.