The presence of European representatives in Abu Dhabi is an attempt to provide informational and political support for Kyiv, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said. In her words, this is “some kind of promotion,” as it is unclear what the Europeans will be doing in the city and for what purpose they have arrived.
“The trilateral format of the talks does not include anyone other than Russia, the Ukrainian side and representatives of the United States,” Zakharova said in an interview with “Vesti.” She added: “Why are they doing it? Probably to provide some informational and political support to the Kyiv regime. Obviously, this is some kind of promotion.”
The talks in Abu Dhabi are scheduled for November 10 and 11. The Russian team is headed by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, the Ukrainian delegation by Rustem Umerov, and the American side by special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. The main format is between Russia, Ukraine and the United States.
European representatives are also arriving in the United Arab Emirates, but they are not directly participating in the trilateral talks. National security advisers from France, Germany and the United Kingdom, as well as representatives of Italy, NATO and the European Commission, are expected to be in Abu Dhabi.
The Ukrainian side said it would hold separate meetings with its European partners. Rustem Umerov said that Kyiv was working to include Europe in the diplomatic process, while Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stressed that the main talks would remain trilateral.
Thus, the European presence is planned as parallel coordination rather than an official expansion of the Russia–Ukraine–US format. What role the European representatives will play and whether they will participate in subsequent stages of the talks remains a matter for separate arrangements.
Sources: vesti.ru, rbc.ru