Zelensky: Europe must be at negotiations with Russia despite Moscow's reluctance

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that European countries must be present at negotiations with Russia to end the war, even if Moscow does not want it. The head of state said this during a joint press conference with Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten, emphasizing that without Europe's participation, it is impossible either to provide security guarantees for Ukraine or to carry out the country's reconstruction.

Kyiv's position: Europe must not be excluded

According to Zelenskyy, Russia has consistently not supported Europe's presence in the negotiation process and preferred to see only the United States in it. "Of course, Russia, as I already told you, they have never really supported Europe's presence, they don't want it. They want only the US and even for them not to be in the middle between us. But we hope that one way or another we will find a way to involve Europe," the president stated. He added that European businesses will help Ukraine and "Europe will play a huge role."

Who will represent the EU

A separate topic of the press conference was the need for the European Union to determine its representative at the negotiations. Zelenskyy noted that more clarity is required from the European side "regarding who will represent Europe," and promised that Kyiv "will work on the list of those who will represent Europe." According to him, this is an important element of preparation for the negotiations.

Negotiations in Abu Dhabi and their agenda

The president emphasized the importance of Europe's presence at the upcoming negotiations in Abu Dhabi. He pointed out that Russia intends to bring new issues to the discussion, including "the security infrastructure in Europe." "How can one negotiate this in Europe without Europe? And who will you do it with, China? Well, that's interesting," Zelenskyy noted. Earlier, he reported that Ukraine is awaiting confirmation of the date of the trilateral meeting with the US and Russia on ending the war, which will likely take place between November 6 and 10; earlier statements mentioned the date of November 10.

Context: Washington's position

Against the backdrop of these statements, criticism from the American leadership persists. As reported, US President Donald Trump earlier criticized Zelenskyy, stating that, in his opinion, negotiations on behalf of Ukraine should perhaps be conducted by another person, and accused the Ukrainian leader of the frontline having barely changed. These statements underline that the positions of the parties on the format and participants of the negotiation process do not yet coincide.