Zelenskyy demands Europe become ‘regular part’ of Ukraine talks

Zelenskyy emphasized that when the U.S. and Russia discuss security guarantees for Ukraine, they're actually negotiating a new security framework between Europe and Russia. While acknowledging that Europeans are now part of these talks, he stressed they don't speak directly to Russia, making it essential for Europe to become a regular participant in negotiations.

Abu Dhabi Talks

Two days of peace negotiations between Russia, Ukraine and the U.S. U.S. President Trump's envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, met with Putin on November 12 and were scheduled to travel to Dublin that evening to brief Zelenskyy.

EU Division

EU governments continue to disagree over who should represent the bloc in any peace negotiations. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz received positive signals from the Abu Dhabi talks but stressed that Ukraine and Europe must be involved. "I expect the Russian government and the Russian president to finally agree to these joint talks," Merz said, adding that discussions about representation would occur privately.

Leadership Question

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas insisted that a ceasefire must precede any peace agreement discussions and backed European Council President António Costa and herself as the bloc's representatives—a solution supported by Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal. French President Macron argued that Europe must first agree on its own peace proposals before deciding on representation.

"Without Europeans there is no support for Ukraine, let's be honest," Macron stated, noting that U.S. involvement has declined. "There is some mediation, fine. But at the end of the day we will be the ones to define and decide for our future security as Europeans." Luxembourg's Prime Minister Luc Frieden supported Costa as the EU's representative, while Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin called for "clear, coherent leadership from the European Union at that table."

Next Steps

Costa agreed to include the discussion on the agenda, which originally focused on artificial intelligence.

Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev warned that Europe's place in future negotiations remains uncertain, while Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš expressed optimism that the bloc was moving closer to securing a seat at the table. The question of Russia's genuine interest in peace also remains unresolved.