German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, following the first day of tripartite negotiations between Russia, Ukraine, and the USA in Abu Dhabi, has once again called for ensuring Europe's participation in the ongoing settlement process. The statement was made following the G7 foreign ministers' meeting in Paris on Tuesday, November 10, and solidified Berlin's position, which views the presence of European delegations at the negotiating table not as an option, but as a necessity.
"Not entirely satisfied"
Wadephul admitted that he is "not entirely satisfied" with how the European side was represented during the current round: they were merely informed about events but were not invited to participate in the meeting with the Russian delegation. However, the minister called the situation a "reasonable intermediate step," emphasizing that he understood that achieving full European participation in the first stage would not have been possible. "I am firmly convinced that this will become possible in the future," he declared, adding that the sooner this happens, the more effective the negotiations will be.
Why participation is inevitable
According to the German Foreign Minister, Europe's involvement in the negotiation process is driven by several issues that cannot be resolved without its direct participation: security guarantees for Ukraine, its potential EU membership, and the prospects for future sanctions relief. Furthermore, Wadephul pointed out that the presence of Europeans serves as an indicator of how seriously Russia treats the negotiations. The representation format, in his opinion, is less important than the fact of participation itself: Berlin considers it expedient to use the "E3" configuration — Germany, France, and the UK — with the addition of Italy, while keeping the other EU member states informed in a timely manner.
Who will speak on behalf of Europe
The question of who exactly will represent the European side remains to be discussed at the level of EU heads of state and government: President of the European Council António Costa announced that he would raise this issue at the meeting in Dublin at the end of the week. In Abu Dhabi itself, Germany was represented by Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s foreign policy and security advisor, Günter Sautter, who, like other European representatives, did not sit directly at the negotiating table.
G7 unity and a warning to Moscow
Summing up the Paris meeting, Wadephul emphasized the "unity of Western democracies in providing assistance to Ukraine" and stated that the joint final communiqué confirms "unwavering support for Ukraine and its courageous people." Germany, he said, will continue to provide aid to Kyiv in 2027 and urges partners to "do even more through joint efforts." The minister also accused Russia of continuing to strike civilian infrastructure while diplomats search for a solution, warning that if the West turns away from Ukraine, it will push Moscow toward new aggressive wars. In this regard, G7 countries intend to strengthen resilience against sabotage, cyberattacks, and other hybrid threats, and expand international cooperation.
Berlin's position diverges from several assessments emerging from Moscow. Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov previously noted that Europe's potential participation in the UAE talks "cannot be ruled out," whereas Russian political scientist Sergey Fyodorov, on the contrary, believes EU involvement is harmful to the peace process and suggests that Europe is better off staying behind the scenes. Thus, the question of the format and composition of the next round remains one of the key points to be settled before the next stage of negotiations.
