Ukraine Warupdated 1h ago2 min read
Archive photo · 23 May 2023Kremlin Aide Yuri Ushakov Says Europe Won’t Join Abu Dhabi Ukraine Talks
5 Local Western2 West Asian1 OtherPhoto: Kremlin.ru, CC BY 4.0 · Cropped for layout
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Europe will not be invited to Abu Dhabi talks with Ukraine and the United States. Ukraine seeks Abu Dhabi talks with US and Russia before a US-Russia-China summit.
Abu Dhabi talks, Europe excluded
The Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov said European countries would not be included in the next round of talks with Ukraine and the United States planned to take place in Abu Dhabi. Interfax quoted Ushakov saying the possible participation of European countries was not discussed during a 90-minute phone call on Tuesday among Russian President Vladimir Putin, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said trilateral talks with Russia and the US would take place from November 6 to November 10 in the United Arab Emirates.
Zelenskyy added that Kyiv wanted Europe to also be involved in the talks, saying unity and stronger pressure on Russia were needed. The Kremlin aide’s account conflicted with Stubb’s account, as Stubb told a meeting of the Nordic Council in Helsinki that European countries would be involved in November’s Abu Dhabi talks.
Dates, formats, and who decides
Zelenskyy told journalists that Ukraine wants to meet with US and Russian delegations in Abu Dhabi before any proposed talks between Washington, Moscow and Beijing. Zelenskyy warned that Russia could use renewed peace negotiations to seek concessions on NATO’s military presence in Europe, and he said, "I really don’t want this to be 'Yalta 2, 3, 4,' when influence is being redistributed." Zelenskyy said, "We would very much like our meeting in Abu Dhabi to take place before that," referring to a proposed US-China-Russia summit.
Sergey Ryabkov said Russia remained in the preparatory stage of negotiations aimed at ending the war in Ukraine, and he cautioned that discussions about a possible meeting in Abu Dhabi were premature. Ryabkov said, "By and large, we are still in the preparation phase," while Zelenskyy framed Europe’s involvement as essential to security guarantees.
Military support and security stakes
Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten pledged an extra 500 million euros for military support to Ukraine this winter to buy drones and other material to strengthen Ukraine’s defences. Zelenskyy said support for recovery and reconstruction cannot wait for a ceasefire, and he said Ukraine needs help right now, "military support but also social and economic assistance." Zelenskyy also thanked British Prime Minister Andy Burnham for a newly announced additional support package worth 10 billion pounds after a Wednesday morning phone call.
Downing Street said the new British aid package includes 500 million pounds in additional military support from the Ministry of Defence to plug urgent gaps in Ukraine’s air defences this winter. The dispute over who sits at the table fed into the stakes for security guarantees, as Yuri Ushakov said, "They can get there if they buy tickets, but no one is going to invite them to the negotiating table," while Zelenskyy argued Europe cannot be excluded from substantive discussions.