The key facts

  • Talks between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations, mediated by the US, will take place in Abu Dhabi on November 10–11
  • The EU supported a ceasefire at sea and in energy infrastructure and will be represented at the talks
  • Moscow, according to Peskov, recognizes only a trilateral format

Coordinating positions ahead of the meeting

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen have aligned the positions of Brussels and Kyiv ahead of the talks in Abu Dhabi, which will take place on November 10–11. Zelensky wrote about this on Telegram following a phone call, noting that the teams of the two sides had previously worked on a recovery plan and security guarantees from Europe. “Ursula and I coordinated our positions on the meeting in Abu Dhabi as well. We are doing everything to ensure that the trilateral format delivers results,” his words are quoted as saying Gazeta.Ru.

The European Commission's position and the composition of participants

Von der Leyen, in a statement on the European Commission's website supported Zelensky's calls for a ceasefire at sea and in energy infrastructure, and also said it was necessary to restore freedom of navigation in the Black Sea. According to her, European Commission representatives will be present at the talks in Abu Dhabi together with partners; at the end of the week she intends to meet with Zelensky in Dublin to discuss next steps.

The format of the talks and disagreements over the participation of third parties

The Russian delegation in Abu Dhabi is to be led by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, and the Ukrainian one by head of Zelensky's office Kirill Budanov (designated as a terrorist and extremist). The talks on November 10 and 11 were reported earlier. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said on November 8 that a representative of Paris would take part in the meeting, and on November 9 the Financial Times reported that national security advisers from France, Germany and the United Kingdom, as well as the chiefs of staff of the European Commission president and the NATO secretary general, would be present at certain stages of the talks.

Moscow's position

Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov stated that exclusively trilateral talks will take place in Abu Dhabi between Moscow and Kyiv with US mediation. Thus, statements about the presence of European representatives at certain stages remain a matter of dispute: the EU and Paris speak of participation, while Moscow insists on an exclusively trilateral format. Earlier, Zelensky agreed with von der Leyen on emergency assistance for Ukraine.