The key facts

  • The talks in Abu Dhabi are scheduled for November 10 and 11
  • The European delegation will consist of advisers to the leaders of France, Germany and the United Kingdom and a European Commission representative
  • Peskov stated that only trilateral talks between Moscow and Kyiv, mediated by the United States, are planned

Composition of the European delegation

The composition of the European participants in the talks on Ukraine, to be held in Abu Dhabi on November 10 and 11, has become known. According to the newspaper Le Monde, France will be represented by Emmanuel Bonne, head of the diplomatic office of the Élysée Palace; Germany by Günter Sautter, diplomatic adviser to Chancellor Friedrich Merz; the United Kingdom by national security adviser Jonathan Powell; and the European Commission by Björn Seibert, chief of staff to Ursula von der Leyen. This is reported by Gazeta.Ru, citing Le Monde.

NATO's participation and preparation of positions

The outlet RBC-Ukraine reported that NATO will be represented at the talks by Jeffrey Van Leuven, director of the office of the alliance's secretary general. Earlier, the Financial Times wrote that the national security advisers of France, Germany and the United Kingdom, as well as the chiefs of staff of the European Commission president and the NATO secretary general, would take part in separate stages of the meeting. Paris's participation was also confirmed by French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot. Ukraine, according to reports, coordinated its position with the EU ahead of the talks.

Format of the talks: differing interpretations

In Moscow, a different interpretation of the meeting's format is given. Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov emphasizedthat only trilateral talks between Moscow and Kyiv, mediated by the United States, are planned in Abu Dhabi. Thus, the participation of European representatives reported by Le Monde and the Financial Times, and the trilateral format announced by the Kremlin, have not yet been reconciled into a single confirmed scheme: the exact structure of the meeting and the Europeans' role in it remain unclear.