Europe will join the US-brokered Ukraine talks in Abu Dhabi, France says, despite Kremlin objections
European officials will take part in this week's US-mediated talks between Russia and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi, France's foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot said on Sunday, days after the Kremlin insisted there could be no European role. The meetings, on Tuesday and Wednesday, had been presented as a three-way session between Washington, Moscow and Kyiv. Barrot said France would be there to make sure Europe's voice is heard, but did not say who would represent Paris or whether European officials would negotiate directly or observe. It will be the fourth round of talks brokered by the Trump administration, and the first since Geneva in February.
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Key points
- France says European officials will join the Abu Dhabi talks on Tuesday and Wednesday, despite the Kremlin ruling out a European role.
- The round had been presented as a three-way Washington–Moscow–Kyiv session; who represents Europe, and in what role, is not yet public.
- It is the fourth Trump-brokered round, and the first since Geneva in February; Russia's delegation is led by Vladimir Medinsky.
- The war continues meanwhile: Zelenskyy said Russia fired 36 ballistic missiles at the Kyiv area overnight Saturday.
What happened
Earlier US-brokered rounds have made little progress. Moscow confirmed it would return to the table only after US envoy Steve Witkoff met President Putin in St Petersburg in October. The gaps remain substantial: Russia demands Ukraine give up large parts of its territory and renounce NATO membership, while Zelenskyy insists security commitments be spelled out clearly, including who would act if Russia attacked again.
On Thursday, US, European, Ukrainian and NATO officials met in Brussels ahead of Abu Dhabi, with US envoy Jared Kushner joining by video link and saying Washington would consult closely with European partners on the sidelines of the talks.
Both sides, in their own words
Both sides heard. Neither believed for free. Publishing a side's version is not endorsing it — the claim checks below are where verdicts live.
Side A · France and Ukraine's European allies
- Europe must be at the table: no discussion of this continent's future can ignore Europe's expectations and demands, Barrot told the US mediators.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he wants Kyiv's European allies involved in the process.
Side B · The Kremlin
- Spokesman Dmitry Peskov ruled out a European role, saying the trilateral format had already been agreed.
- Peskov accused European governments of failing to decide who speaks for them, while acknowledging security talks would at some point need Europe's involvement.
Independently verified
European officials will take part in the US-mediated Russia-Ukraine talks in Abu Dhabi this week, French foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot said on Sunday. "France will be there and will ensure that Europe's voice is heard," he told French radio. The Kremlin had ruled out a European role: spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the trilateral format — Washington, Moscow and Kyiv — had already been agreed. The Abu Dhabi meetings, set for Tuesday and Wednesday, are the fourth round of talks brokered by the Trump administration and the first since Geneva in February. Russia's delegation will again be led by Vladimir Medinsky, joined for the first time by deputy foreign ministers Sergei Ryabkov and Mikhail Galuzin and a deputy head of the General Staff's operations directorate, alongside military intelligence chief Igor Kostyukov. President Trump, after meeting Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev on Thursday, said a coming agreement was "going to involve more than Ukraine" and "might involve all of Europe". President Zelenskyy told CNN on Friday he had not been given details of the agreement Trump referenced and warned it could be dangerous, invoking the 1945 Yalta conference.Not yet verified
Nothing outstanding.Claim by claim
Why this label: Barrot's own on-record words to RTL, reported by NPR/AFP and Euronews in the same terms. Who will represent France, and whether Europeans will negotiate directly or observe, he did not say.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: Peskov's position as reported by NPR; it is carried as the Kremlin's position, not as a settled fact about the meeting's final format.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: NPR's account of the round and the Russian delegation; the agenda, per US envoy Steve Witkoff, covers postwar security arrangements, de-escalation and humanitarian issues.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Show all claims (1 more)
Why this label: Both men's own on-record words as reported by NPR; what agreement, if any, is being prepared is not established and is in the don't-know list.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
What we know / what we don't know yet
What we know
- France says European officials will take part in the Abu Dhabi round; the Kremlin had said the format was trilateral only.
- The round is set for Tuesday and Wednesday, led on the Russian side by Vladimir Medinsky.
- Trump has spoken of an agreement involving "more than Ukraine"; Zelenskyy says he has not been given its details.
What we don't know yet
- Who will represent France and the other European countries, and whether they will negotiate directly or observe.
- What agreement Trump was referring to — no text or outline has been published.
- Whether the talks will produce any de-escalation or agreement.
Why it matters
Whether Europe sits at the table shapes any settlement's legitimacy and its security guarantees. A deal discussed without the continent it most affects — the fear Zelenskyy raised by invoking Yalta — would face resistance from the very countries expected to underwrite it.
Background
Show the background timeline (4)
The previous US-brokered round met in Geneva; three rounds have made little progress.
US envoy Steve Witkoff met President Putin in St Petersburg; Moscow then confirmed it would return to the negotiating table.
Trump met Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev and spoke of an agreement that "might involve all of Europe"; US, European, Ukrainian and NATO officials met in Brussels.
Foreign minister Barrot said France and Europe will be in Abu Dhabi for the talks.
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Published in Checking state — the talks have not yet taken place, and claims are labelled as reporting develops.