EU to Join US-Mediated Russia-Ukraine Peace Talks in Abu Dhabi

The European Union announced on Monday that it will dispatch a joint delegation of senior officials from the European Commission and the European Council to the upcoming Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Abu Dhabi. Scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, the negotiations will be mediated by the United States with the participation of France, Germany, and the United Kingdom in a bid to broker an end to the ongoing war.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen confirmed the bloc's participation following a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Von der Leyen emphasized the necessity of restoring and safeguarding freedom of navigation in the Black Sea, while reiterating her support for Zelensky's call for a ceasefire encompassing vital food and energy infrastructure.

The EU delegation will be led by Björn Seibert, head of von der Leyen's cabinet, and Anna-Maria Bourguignon, senior foreign policy adviser to European Council President António Costa. Officials are examining the possibility of a direct meeting between EU representatives and the Russian delegation, a milestone that has yet to occur during the current diplomatic track.

European Divisions Over Diplomatic Engagement

The decision to send a European delegation comes amid lingering disagreements among member states regarding their diplomatic involvement. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni recently addressed a sharp letter to European Council President Costa, criticizing coordination gaps and demanding the appointment of a special EU envoy for the peace talks.

Costa responded that the matter will be addressed during an informal summit in Dublin later this week, immediately following the Abu Dhabi negotiations. Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski also voiced apprehension regarding direct talks with Moscow, stressing that Eastern European perspectives must not be bypassed.

Renewed Trilateral Negotiations

The upcoming talks in Abu Dhabi mark the resumption of trilateral negotiations between the United States, Russia, and Ukraine, which were frozen in February due to the conflict in Iran that redirected American diplomatic focus toward the Middle East. The Ukrainian delegation will be led by Foreign Intelligence Service head Rustem Umerov, alongside Kyrylo Budanov, Sergiy Kyslytsya, and David Arakhamia.

The Russian delegation will be headed by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, accompanied by Deputy Foreign Ministers Sergei Ryabkov and Mikhail Galuzin. The United States will be represented by special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.