European involvement in Abu Dhabi peace negotiations shifted diplomatic attention toward who should represent Europe at the negotiating table, euronews reported.
American representatives Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff journeyed from Abu Dhabi to Moscow for discussions with Russian leader Vladimir Putin before continuing on to Dublin to hold meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
While the negotiations in Abu Dhabi yielded an agreement in principle concerning a substantial prisoner swap, they failed to achieve any progress toward a ceasefire or a territorial resolution.
Diplomatic focus shifted toward Europe’s participation in future negotiations and security arrangements as the process unfolded.
“A lot depends on when and how the war will end in Ukraine and this will have influence on all other steps,” Zelenskyy said after meeting the US envoys, adding that “all these steps will be after the ending of the war, after the security guarantees for Ukraine.”
Zelenskyy maintained that Ukraine already formed an essential component of the security framework of Europe, asserting that its potential entry into NATO would dictate upcoming security structures.
“We are the part of Europe and we are the parts of security architecture already. So if we are in NATO – that’s what I said to Jared and Steve – if we will be in NATO, this is one architecture,” he said.
Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal warned reporters in Dublin that discussions about Europe’s future security architecture risked distracting from the immediate priority of ending the war.
“This is a mental trap to talk about European security architecture before the peace. Because this is what Putin does. It makes us talk between each other about our matters, but not about the matter that matters. That is the peace,” Michal said.
Michal called for continued European support for Ukraine and greater pressure on Russia as Moscow intensifies attacks on Ukrainian energy and civilian infrastructure ahead of winter.
“The European plan for a while is quite simple: help Ukraine push Russia,” he said.
The debate raised concerns that Moscow could use negotiations over security arrangements to revive longstanding demands over Ukraine and strengthen its position ahead of high-level talks in China.
Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said in Moscow that Russia expected Witkoff and Kushner to convey the Russian president’s messages to Zelenskyy.
“We hope that the messages from Moscow will be conveyed in full detail. We remain in contact with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner and will discuss the state of affairs before the meeting between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump in China,” Ushakov said.
Moscow is pushing for a trilateral meeting between Putin, Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in China ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen on 18–19 November, although arrangements have yet to be confirmed.
Russia’s chief negotiator Vladimir Medinsky invoked the prospect of a new great-power settlement, drawing comparisons with the Second World War conferences at Yalta and Potsdam.
“The task now is to create a comprehensive security system in Europe that would become a new, modern Yalta and Potsdam,” Medinsky said.
Medinsky argued that a fair security system could guarantee peace in Europe for decades and even centuries provided it met Russia’s demands.
Territorial disputes and post-war security guarantees for Kyiv were expected to dominate negotiations ahead of the US-mediated talks in Abu Dhabi.
A senior US official suggested that Ukraine and Russia had privately shown a little bit of flexibility over disputed territory, raising cautious hopes of progress.
Trump suggested that Ukraine could emerge from the war with a little bit different shape, without specifying what territorial changes he envisaged.
Zelenskyy said Kyiv would propose steps to reduce hostilities and seek agreement on arranging a trilateral meeting between the leaders of Ukraine, Russia and the US.
“At the meetings in Abu Dhabi, our team will propose de-escalatory steps, and there must be an understanding of how to arrange a trilateral meeting at the leaders’ level to bring this war to an end fairly and for real,” Zelenskyy wrote on X.
Medinsky’s remarks after the negotiations suggested that Moscow’s position on ending the war remained unchanged.
“Only when we win and sign a peace agreement on our terms,” Medinsky said when asked whether the Russian side was satisfied with the outcome of the talks.
Medinsky rejected the prospect of Russia relinquishing control of territories occupied in Ukraine.
“Where the Russian flag has been raised, it must not be lowered,” he said, insisting that every inch of what Moscow considers Russian territory would be returned “one way or another”.
Meanwhile, Russian forces launched 117 drones overnight, including 63 jet-powered drones, according to Ukraine’s Air Force.
| Event / Proposal | Key Participant | Stated Position / Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Abu Dhabi Talks | US Envoys, Ukraine, Russia | Agreement in principle on prisoner exchange; no ceasefire breakthrough. |
| Security Architecture | Volodymyr Zelenskyy & Kristen Michal | Zelenskyy ties security to NATO; Michal warns architecture talks are a Russian trap. |
| Proposed Trilateral Summit | Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump, Xi Jinping | Pushed by Moscow for China ahead of the APEC summit on 18–19 November. |
