Europe will be represented at the round of negotiations on the war in Ukraine set for 10 and 11 November in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates. Germany, France, the United Kingdom, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the European Union will all be present, according to a senior European diplomat who spoke to the Kyiv Independent — a shift from the original design, which put only the United States, Ukraine and Russia at the table, with American mediation.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Monday that "the EU will be present alongside our partners." French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot had said on Sunday that "the Europeans will be well represented; France will be in Abu Dhabi to take part in these discussions," without specifying who would go on the country's behalf.
The format is still undefined
Being in Abu Dhabi and being at the table are not the same thing, and that is precisely where the arrangement stays vague. According to the European diplomat, the representatives may only take part in briefings before and after the trilateral sessions, or enter an expanded format with Europeans, Ukrainians, Americans and Russians in the same room.
Brussels is preparing a joint team of senior officials from the European Commission and the European Council. Björn Seibert, von der Leyen's head of cabinet, is the likeliest choice to lead it — the same design used in the so-called "Miami Format," in which Seibert represented the EU.
The countries are sending the national security advisers of Germany, France and the United Kingdom, the trio known as the E3.
Who leads the delegations
The Kremlin said it will send senior diplomats and military officials. On the Russian side, the names cited include Vladimir Medinsky, Sergei Ryabkov, Mikhail Galuzin and Igor Kostyukov. Accounts of who heads the Ukrainian delegation differ among the sources consulted.
The agenda, according to US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, covers post-war security arrangements, de-escalation, humanitarian issues and the next steps toward a deal.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) noted that some members of the Russian delegation have previously worked to uphold Kremlin demands or drag out negotiations — a reading that, for the institute, may signal little interest in Moscow in making progress.
Pressure on the ground, friction among Europeans
The talks follow a week of Russian attacks on Ukraine's power grid. Over the weekend, strikes left more than 850,000 people without electricity: the utility DTEK recorded over 600,000 affected in the Dnipropetrovsk region, including the city of Dnipro, and Kharkiv authorities reported about 250,000 customers without power, with supply gradually restored. President Volodymyr Zelensky attributed the intensified attacks to an attempt to weaken Ukraine's position ahead of Abu Dhabi.
Among the Europeans, the number of meetings and representatives has become friction of its own: Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni criticised the proliferation of gatherings and interlocutors, and the issue has reached the agenda of the European Union leaders' meeting set for 13 November in Ireland.
The Ukrainian president had said on 6 November that "issues concerning Europe's security must be discussed with the participation of European nations" — the argument that underpinned the push for a seat.
With information from the Kyiv Independent, RBC-Ukraine, UNN and Euronews.
