The key facts

  • Asked about Europeans being barred from the talks, Lavrov replied with a joke: 'Are you suggesting shooting down planes?'
  • According to the minister, the United States warned Moscow in advance about consultations with Ukraine and Europe before the trilateral round
  • The Russia–US–Ukraine talks in Abu Dhabi began on 10 November and lasted almost four hours; the dialogue will continue on 11 November

The minister's joke and the question about Europe's place in the talks

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov responded with a joke to a question from a foreign correspondent about why European delegations are not being admitted to the trilateral talks between Russia, the United States and Ukraine, even though EU representatives, knowing about them, arrived in Abu Dhabi in advance. 'Are you suggesting shooting down planes?' the minister asked with a smile, as reported by TASS and Life.ru. Gazeta.Ru notes that the correspondent pointed out to Lavrov that 'practically all European countries' had flown to Abu Dhabi.

Context: Moscow's position and the CSTO meeting

The question was asked at a press conference following the joint meeting of foreign ministers, defence ministers and secretaries of security councils of CSTO member states, held in Moscow on 10 November. According to Lavrov, Washington warned Moscow in advance that before the trilateral talks it would hold separate consultations with Ukrainian and European representatives; Russia, the minister noted, does not intend to obstruct these contacts. Earlier, he said that the Europeans who had flown to Abu Dhabi would not take part in the talks but would merely 'sit around in a hotel'. Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko urged not to overestimate the very fact of their presence: in his words, the Europeans have so far acted as an 'obstacle' to the talks, 'sitting behind the scenes and pulling the strings' in order to pressure Ukraine and the United States.

What is known about the talks themselves

A new round of talks on Ukraine began in Abu Dhabi on 10 November and lasted almost four hours; the discussion will continue on 11 November. The Russian delegation is led by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, the Ukrainian one by Foreign Intelligence Service head Rustem Umerov, and the United States is represented by Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner; European participation was not planned. Following the first day the parties made no public announcement of an agreement. In a joint statement, the EU Council said that before the trilateral round, representatives of the European Union, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Ukraine, the United States and NATO met and discussed security guarantees for Ukraine and ways to reduce the risk of a new escalation after the conflict is resolved. It was previously reported that the United States intends to persuade Russia to admit Europe to the talks.