Russia excludes Europe from planned Ukraine-US-Russia talks as Kyiv preserves a path to negotiations
Russia said European representatives would not be invited to the planned trilateral talks with Ukraine and the United States, while the European Commission reaffirmed its diplomatic involvement without confirming whether EU delegates would attend. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine would not abandon the format if Washington insisted, while stressing that European security cannot be discussed without Europe.
Key points
- The next Ukraine-US-Russia talks were initially expected to take place in Abu Dhabi in November.
- Yuri Ushakov said representatives of European states were not planned to be invited.
- Dmitry Peskov said the trilateral format does not include EU participation.
- The European Commission said on October 29 that it remained engaged in efforts to end the war.
- Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on October 28 that Ukraine would not reject trilateral talks if the United States insisted on that format.
- Zelenskyy questioned whether Europe's security architecture could be discussed without European states.
- ISW assessed that Moscow sought to exclude Europeans until they accepted Russia's demand to return NATO's presence to the 1997 borders.
Why it matters
European participation could shape both the negotiating format and discussions on European security. Russia's demand to reduce NATO's presence to the 1997 borders would require a fundamental overhaul of Europe's security architecture. Ukraine's willingness to attend trilateral talks without European representatives preserves a route to negotiations, but uncertainty over EU attendance leaves the diplomatic format unresolved.
What happened
Russia moved to exclude European representatives from the planned trilateral talks involving Ukraine, the United States and Russia. Yuri Ushakov said European states were not planned to be invited, while Dmitry Peskov said the trilateral format does not provide for EU participation. The European Commission responded on October 29 that it continued participating in diplomatic efforts to end the war, but spokesperson Paula Pinho did not confirm whether EU representatives would attend. In the Netherlands on October 28, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine would not reject the trilateral format if the United States insisted on it. He nevertheless questioned whether Europe's security architecture could be discussed without European states and said Ukraine would preserve the possibility of future meetings.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian coverage emphasizes Kyiv's willingness to join trilateral talks even if European representatives are excluded. Ukraine is seeking to advance the peace process in any format as quickly as possible while arguing that European states must be included in any discussion of European security.
How international sources describe it
International coverage focuses on Russia's effort to exclude European representatives and weaken Europe's negotiating position. Russian officials portrayed Europe as inconsistent and its demands as unrealistic, while the European Commission continued to present itself as engaged in diplomacy. Russia's proposal to restore NATO's 1997 borders was framed as an issue demanding a fundamental rethink of Europe's security architecture.
Where reporting differs
Russia publicly rejects the EU's position as peaceful, portrays European demands as unrealistic and says the EU is not seeking peace. The European Commission says it continues diplomatic efforts to end the war. Moscow also indicates that Europeans will not be invited to the next talks, whereas the Commission has not confirmed whether EU representatives will attend.
Background
The planned trilateral talks involving Ukraine, the United States and Russia were initially expected in Abu Dhabi in November. Russia first demanded a reduction of NATO's presence in Europe to the borders of 1997 in December 2021. According to ISW, that demand would effectively dismantle the Alliance and require a fundamental revision of Europe's security architecture.