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Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Ursula von der Leyen coordinated their positions ahead of the Ukraine-Russia-U.S. negotiations in Abu Dhabi

Gabriel Dumitrache

9 November 2026, 15:02

International

Ursula von der Leyen și Volodimir Zelenski / Foto: Jacovides Dominique/Pool/ABACA / Abaca Press / Profimedia

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky discussed the matter on Monday with Ursula von der Leyen, ahead of the negotiations between Ukraine, Russia and the United States, scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday in Abu Dhabi. The two coordinated their positions so that the trilateral meeting would produce results and contribute to relaunching diplomatic efforts to end the war that began after the Russian invasion in February 2022.

The European Union is trying to become involved in the process to ensure that any agreements take into account the security interests of Ukraine and the European states. European officials cited by AFP announced that representatives of the EU, NATO and the E3 group – France, Germany and the United Kingdom – will be present in Abu Dhabi, in parallel with the trilateral discussions. France will participate in the meetings held on the sidelines of the negotiations, according to Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot.

Moscow, however, rejects, at least at this stage, the direct participation of Europeans and insists on a format strictly between Ukraine, Russia and the United States. Washington says it will consult with its European partners, while Jared Kushner stated that any progress could subsequently lead to a multilateral format.

Context: before the Abu Dhabi negotiations, the US and Zelenskiy resumed contacts, while Russia rejected the direct involvement of Europeans

Before the round scheduled in Abu Dhabi, Moscow announced that European officials would not participate in the trilateral negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, mediated by the United States, a position expressed by Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov. The statement contradicted messages from Paris and Brussels, where French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen maintained that the EU would be represented at the meeting.

At the same time, Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that he had held talks with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner ahead of a series of meetings devoted to the conflict, while in parallel Ukraine was also preparing a meeting in Brussels on post-peace-agreement security guarantees, with participation from the EU and NATO.