US and Europe agree in Abu Dhabi to review postwar continental security arrangements

On 10 November, the first day of a new round of Ukraine peace talks in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, European representatives, Ukraine and the United States agreed to review the continent's overall security arrangements. The aim is to reduce tensions between Russia and NATO (the North Atlantic Treaty Organization) members once Russia's war against Ukraine ends.

The agreement is set out in two near-identical statements, one from US special envoy Steve Witkoff and one from the European Council. They say it is "essential" to address post-war security concerns and reduce the risk of conflict in the region. The shared objective, they say, is a practical, mutually reinforcing security framework that strengthens Ukraine's long-term security and builds the confidence needed for a negotiated settlement. Participants also reaffirmed that a strong NATO will remain central to Euro-Atlantic collective defence.

Preparatory talks

Before the Ukrainian and Russian teams met, preparatory talks were held on Tuesday morning with European powers, Ukraine and the US team. Participants included senior officials from the European Commission, the European Council, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy and NATO. Two officials who spoke anonymously described these talks as substantial, with a positive mood.

A sensitive issue

Europe's future security architecture is especially sensitive for European governments, which fear US President Donald Trump may sharply reduce US support for security in the region. Russia has demanded a say in scaling back NATO's activity in Europe and has repeatedly insisted Ukraine must never join the alliance.

A key question is sequencing: will a deal on wider European security be part of a final Ukraine peace agreement, or come later? Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and some of his strongest supporters have said previously that Russia has no basis to demand a wider European-NATO settlement as a condition for ending the war.

The Abu Dhabi talks are the first time in nine months that Ukrainian and Russian negotiators have met US representatives in trilateral peace negotiations. Trump's envoys Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law, and Witkoff lead the American side and are pushing to widen the discussion to cover Europe's future security and to give Europe a seat at the table. Since Trump returned to the White House, his administration has criticised Europeans for not taking enough responsibility for their own defence. NATO allies agreed to raise security and defence spending to 5% of GDP by 2035, and US officials have already said they will cut back troop deployments in Europe.