The key facts
- France will take part in the talks in Abu Dhabi on November 10–11, but Barrot did not name who will represent the country
- The format was agreed as trilateral: Russia, the US and Ukraine; the Kremlin ruled out Europeans joining
- Bloomberg, citing sources, wrote that Europeans will join only if progress is made in the talks
Paris announced its participation
France will take part in the talks on Ukraine, which will be held in Abu Dhabi on November 10–11. This was announced by French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot in an interview with the RTL radio station, as reported by Gazeta.Ru. “The European side will be well represented, and France will come to Abu Dhabi to take part in these discussions,” the minister said, adding that for now he cannot name who exactly will represent the country. According to him, in recent weeks Europeans have told the American mediators that discussions about the future of the continent are impossible without taking their expectations and demands into account. Barrot separately emphasized that he himself will not sit at the negotiating table, euronews writes.
Disagreement over the format
Paris's statement diverges from how the talks have been described so far. Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov said on November 3 that the Russian delegation would take part in trilateral talks — Russia, the US and Ukraine, and that the Russian side would be led by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky. Russian Foreign Ministry Official Representative Maria Zakharova stated on November 7 that Europeans have no place at the negotiating table on Ukraine. Aide to the Russian leader Yuri Ushakov, as Life.ru previously reported, said that Europeans are not going to be invited, and ironically noted that they may come to Abu Dhabi if they buy the tickets themselves. Life.ru also notes that the Kremlin ruled out the possibility of European delegations joining the trilateral format.
Conditions and uncertainty
The Bloomberg agency, citing sources, wrote that European officials will likely be present in Abu Dhabi but intend to join the talks only if progress is achieved. Barrot did not reveal who will represent France. According to euronews, the meetings on November 10–11 have so far been presented as trilateral, however Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has openly expressed his desire for European allies of Kyiv to be involved. Barrot also stated that he does not know what Donald Trump meant when, after a meeting with Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev, he predicted the imminent conclusion of a “big deal” with Russia on Ukraine, “capable of encompassing all of Europe”; according to the minister, an agreement with consequences for the European security architecture cannot be drafted or even discussed without the Europeans.
