Kremlin official Yuri Ushakov confirmed that European countries will not be invited to upcoming trilateral peace talks between Ukraine, the United States, and Russia scheduled for November 2026 in Abu Dhabi. Despite a 90-minute call by Finnish and Norwegian leaders to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Moscow rejected European involvement. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned against Russian demands to roll back NATO deployments to 1997 positions and cautioned against a post-war redistribution of global influence.
European participation in negotiations
- ▪Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere and Finnish President Alexander Stubb held a 90-minute phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on October 27, 2026 to present European views directly.
- ▪Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov stated that the participation of European countries in the Abu Dhabi talks was not discussed during Russian President Vladimir Putin's October 27, 2026 call with Finnish and Norwegian leaders.
- ▪German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated on October 27, 2026 that US-Russia peace attempts can never settle the war without Ukraine and European countries at the negotiating table.
- ▪Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated that the October 27, 2026 phone call with Nordic leaders offered nothing new and that European countries were simply seeking a role in negotiations.
- ▪The European Commission and European Council prepared a joint team of senior officials to send to the next round of peace talks in Abu Dhabi.
- ▪Finnish President Alexander Stubb stated at the Nordic Council in Helsinki that European countries would be involved in November 2026 peace talks.
Trilateral Abu Dhabi talks planning and agenda
- ▪The latest push for trilateral negotiations followed September 2026 visits to Kyiv and Moscow by U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
- ▪Russian foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov stated that European representatives will not participate in or be invited to the upcoming trilateral technical talks between Ukraine, the U.S., and Russia in Abu Dhabi.
- ▪Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that trilateral talks with Russia and the U.S. in Abu Dhabi are planned to take place between November 6 and November 10, 2026.
- ▪The planned Abu Dhabi meeting will focus on de-escalation measures, including energy infrastructure ceasefires, maritime security, and prisoner-of-war exchanges.
Zelenskyy concerns on global summits
- ▪Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed concern that proposed US-China-Russia trilateral discussions could lead to a 'Yalta 2, 3, 4' style redistribution of international spheres of influence.
- ▪Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine wants its trilateral meeting in Abu Dhabi with US and Russian delegations to occur before any potential US-China-Russia summit.
Debate over NATO eastern European posture
- ▪Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin signaled that renewed peace negotiations should address rolling back NATO's military presence and deployments in Eastern Europe to its 1997 configuration.
- ▪Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned NATO against accepting Russian demands to reduce its military posture in Eastern Europe, calling any security rollback a weakness for the alliance.
- ▪In December 2021, Moscow presented draft security agreements to the U.S. and NATO seeking to halt alliance enlargement and restrict military deployments in countries that joined after May 1997.
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