The United States wants Russia to accept follow-up multilateral consultations involving its European allies after the trilateral talks on Ukraine in Abu Dhabi. The talks between representatives of the US, Russia and Ukraine are scheduled for November 10 and 11, and according to American officials, the aim is to discuss a broader format for Europe’s future security.
Washington’s proposal is for European countries to be included in consultations following the initial trilateral talks. Representatives of the European Union, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy and NATO may take part. It has not been clarified whether all talks involving European participants will be held in Abu Dhabi itself or at a later stage.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said there has been progress on the post-war security architecture, but a final agreement has yet to be reached.
According to him, the issue of post-war guarantees for Ukraine and the rest of Europe is among the main topics discussed by the allies. Washington is not presenting the meeting as a guaranteed breakthrough, but as an opportunity to develop ideas for a future settlement of the conflict.
Europe will be represented in Abu Dhabi
The European Commission and the European Council will send a joint high-level team. France, Germany and the United Kingdom will participate through their representatives on national security matters, Italy will also be included, and NATO will send its own representative.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said Europeans would be „well represented“ in the talks and confirmed France’s participation. Separately, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that the European Union would attend together with its partners.
American representatives Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff will lead the US delegation. Kushner said that reaching a comprehensive and lasting agreement would require direct dialogue between Russia and European countries on security issues affecting the entire continent.
Topics expected to be discussed in the future consultations include post-war security, Ukraine’s economic recovery, crisis communications, military transparency and measures to limit the risk of a new escalation.
Moscow remains reserved about European participation
Russia has so far stated that European countries should not be part of the initial trilateral format. However, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Europe would ultimately have to participate in broader negotiations, since Europe’s future security architecture could not be discussed without the Europeans.
The upcoming talks in Abu Dhabi will be the first new round of trilateral negotiations after a nine-month pause. Ukraine is seeking credible guarantees against a new Russian attack, while Moscow is putting forward its own demands for the future European security system.
Sources: investing.com, apnews.com