Envoys of US President Donald Trump are pressuring Russia to include European capitals in the next round of peace talks on Ukraine. According to US officials speaking on condition of anonymity, Washington aims for the Abu Dhabi meeting to be the final one conducted without full European participation. President’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff, serving as mediators in the trilateral discussions with Russia and Ukraine, will advocate this week for Europe’s right to direct participation in the negotiation process. According to the publication's sources, the American side wants to accelerate the settlement dynamics and therefore proposes involving Europeans in the discussion immediately after the conclusion of the current trilateral round.
Venue Format and Composition of Participants
The negotiations in Abu Dhabi are being held in a trilateral format — Russia, Ukraine, and the US as mediators — which is being used for the first time since February. Representatives of European countries are present at the UAE venue this week: security advisors from the UK, Germany, and France, as well as officials from Italy, NATO, the European Commission, and the European Council. Kushner and Witkoff are expected to consult with them, but these participants will not take part in the main negotiations due to Russian objections. This divergence in positions defines the nature of the current diplomatic game: Washington views the presence of Europeans as a necessary condition for a sustainable settlement, while Moscow emphasizes that the meeting format is an agreed-upon trilateral one.
Agenda: Security Guarantees and Territorial Issues
The first day of negotiations, according to US officials, will be dedicated to security guarantees for Ukraine and a possible restructuring of Europe’s security system. The second day will focus on territorial issues, including defining the borders and lines of contact. The American side insists that these two blocks must be addressed together and cannot be separated. Meanwhile, in Brussels and other European capitals, there are fears that Trump might agree to Vladimir Putin’s long-standing demands to reduce NATO’s influence in the region. In response to these concerns, US officials argue that NATO will continue to play a central role in Europe’s collective defense, but do not abandon the idea of fundamentally revising the continent’s relations with Russia, noting that Europeans have “a lot on their hands” building a new security system, and previous preliminary agreements have not worked.
Who Speaks for Europe
Within Europe itself, there is no consensus on who should represent the continent in the negotiations and whether Ukraine’s allies should even maintain direct contact with Vladimir Putin. EU leaders intend to discuss this topic at an informal summit in Dublin this week. At the same time, Washington approved a phone call between the heads of Finland and Norway and the Russian president on October 27 and declared the need for more active engagement: according to US officials, European countries need “many more discussions with Russia” so that they can hear the same things the US hears and convey their message directly to Moscow. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, according to officials, is actively involved in conversations with the American administration and is proposing his own reform ideas. It is specifically noted that regarding the fate of territories occupied by Russia, both sides are said to have shown “flexibility” in private.
Weekly Goals: Tempo, Not a Final Deal
The main goal of this week’s negotiations is to maintain the momentum of recent weeks rather than achieve a final ceasefire. The American side emphasized that territorial issues and future security guarantees for Ukraine and Europe must move forward together. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio previously stated that Ukraine would have only the security guarantees that Russia agrees to, as they must be acceptable to Moscow, otherwise they will not work. US officials, as reported by RBC-Ukraine, do not expect a deal to be concluded following the Abu Dhabi meetings: according to Radio Liberty correspondent Alex Raufoglu, the round’s task is to clarify the parties' positions and identify remaining gaps. Thus, the current meeting acts as a stage for calibrating positions, not as the finale of the negotiation track.
