The key facts

  • A new round of talks between Russia, Ukraine and the US is taking place in Abu Dhabi on November 10–11
  • EU representatives arrived but did not take part in the meeting itself
  • The EC called the discussion with Ukraine and the US 'productive'

What happened in Abu Dhabi

On November 10 and 11, a new round of talks between Russia, Ukraine and the United States is taking place in Abu Dhabi. European Union representatives arrived at the venue of the talks but did not attend the meeting itself. This was reported by Gazeta.Ru citing a briefing by European Commission spokesperson Paula Pinho in Brussels.

What the European Commission said

According to Pinho, two meetings took place in Abu Dhabi. First, the 'European trio' — the United Kingdom, Germany and France — together with Italy and NATO met with the Ukrainian delegation. Then, in her assessment, a 'productive discussion' was held between the European representatives, Ukraine and the United States.

The participants' position

Pinho stated that the participants emphasized that any future agreements must respect Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity and its right to make decisions independently. The parties also discussed providing Ukraine with real security guarantees and building a sustainable European security system in the postwar period. 'We continue to work closely with Ukraine and our partners to achieve a just and lasting peace,' the outlet quoted her as saying.

Moscow's reaction and context

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko expressed the view that the very fact of the Europeans' arrival in Abu Dhabi does not indicate their desire for peace: in his words, the Europeans are 'sitting behind the scenes and pulling the strings' in order to pressure Ukraine and the United States. Earlier, as the outlet notes, it was reported that the United States intends to persuade Russia to allow Europe to take part in the talks on Ukraine.