France: Europe Will Be Represented at US-Russia-Ukraine Talks in Abu Dhabi

Europe will be represented at upcoming talks in Abu Dhabi on ending the war in Ukraine, which the United States is mediating and which involve Russian and Ukrainian sides. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said this on Sunday, 8 November, in an interview with radio station RTL. The statement matters because the talks had so far been set up without European participation, even though European security is directly tied to the outcome of the war.

"Europeans will be represented, and France will be in Abu Dhabi to take part in these talks," Barrot said. He acknowledged that earlier discussions had sometimes taken place without Europeans and sometimes with them, but said this time they would participate. The minister stressed that France would make sure the European voice is heard.

Why concerns arose

Barrot's remarks followed comments by US President Donald Trump that raised concerns about Washington moving closer to the Kremlin. Trump predicted a "very big" deal with Russia that would cover not only the war in Ukraine but also "all of Europe".

The talks are scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday. Until now they were framed as a three-way format involving Ukrainian, Russian and US officials, rather than national leaders. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has clearly stated that he wants European allies involved, while Russia has indicated that Europeans have no place at the negotiating table.

Brussels meeting

On Thursday, officials from the US, Europe, Ukraine and NATO (the North Atlantic Treaty Organization) met in Brussels ahead of the Abu Dhabi talks. A NATO spokesperson said they sought to promote a just and lasting end to the war. Jared Kushner, the US president's envoy and son-in-law, joined the meeting remotely and said the US is working on a broader European security architecture that could help create conditions for lasting peace.

Kushner added that Washington would consult closely with its European partners during the Abu Dhabi talks and, if progress is made, would try to move toward a broader multilateral format with their direct participation.

European allies, who have long rejected Moscow's wish to rewrite Europe's security architecture, view the American approach with caution. Before the renewed invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the Kremlin presented NATO with an ultimatum demanding the withdrawal of alliance troops from Eastern Europe, which the alliance rejected.