Ukraine, EU 'coordinated positions' before Abu Dhabi talks: Zelenskyy

“We are doing everything to ensure that the trilateral format delivers results,” said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

10 Nov 2026 02:45AM

KYIV: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Monday (Nov 9) he had spoken with EU chief Ursula von der Leyen to coordinate positions with the bloc ahead of US-mediated talks with Russia in Abu Dhabi this week.

European powers are engaged in an intense diplomatic push to ensure any settlement in Russia's war on Ukraine is fair to Kyiv - and avoid Washington offering Moscow new security guarantees over Europe's head.

Posting on X after speaking with von der Leyen, Zelenskyy said they had "coordinated our positions regarding the meeting in Abu Dhabi".

"We are doing everything to ensure that the trilateral format delivers results," he added.

The European Commission chief confirmed on social media after their exchange that "the EU will be present alongside our partners" for the Abu Dhabi talks taking place on Tuesday and Wednesday, echoing weekend statements by France's foreign minister.

Kyiv's lead negotiator Rustem Umerov announced that the Ukrainian delegation - currently on the way to Abu Dhabi - would "hold separate coordination meetings with our European partners" there.

"Representatives of European countries - including the E4 group (the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Italy) - as well as representatives of NATO and the European Commission will be in Abu Dhabi," Umerov said on Telegram.

An EU official told AFP earlier that national security officials for the EU, NATO, France, Germany and the United Kingdom would be on site - although precisely how they would be involved was still unclear.

"Exact formats we will see when we get there," the official said.

"VERY BIG" DEAL

The Kremlin insisted meanwhile that the upcoming talks will still be held in the trilateral Ukraine-Russia-US format.

"As for the Europeans, there are separate channels of communication between the Ukrainians and Europeans, as well as the Americans and Europeans," said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

US President Donald Trump has stoked new fears of a US pivot toward the Kremlin by predicting a "very big" deal with Russia involving not only the Ukraine war but "all of Europe".

Trump's envoy and son-in-law Jared Kushner has likewise set alarm bells ringing in Europe after saying Washington was working on "a broader European security architecture that can help establish the conditions for lasting peace" in Ukraine.

Kushner participated by video link in a meeting in Brussels last week with European, Ukrainian and NATO officials and has said Washington would consult with European partners "on the sidelines" of the Abu Dhabi talks.

On Monday, Kushner said on X that "achieving a comprehensive and lasting settlement will also require direct engagement between Russia and our European partners".

Kushner added that "we recognise the difficult decisions ahead".

European allies have long rejected Moscow's desire to rewrite the European security architecture.

Before launching the war in Ukraine in 2022, the Kremlin delivered an ultimatum to NATO which included a demand that the alliance's troops be withdrawn from eastern Europe.