Zelenskyy Says Kyiv Will Seek a Way to Bring Europe Into Peace Talks

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Wednesday that Kyiv will take every available opportunity to move negotiations forward, even if European representatives are not at the table. His remarks came as preparations continue for a trilateral meeting involving the United States, Ukraine and Russia.

Speaking at a press conference with Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten, Zelenskyy did not directly confirm whether the European side would be left out of the technical talks on ending the war. He did stress, however, that Europeans need to be part of the broader negotiation process.

"First and foremost, this will be a trilateral meeting of technical groups: the United States, Russia and Ukraine," he said. "But you know that we have been working from the very beginning on how to involve Europe."

The president also played down the novelty of the format. "It has been accepted that this is a trilateral meeting, but this is not something new. It is not a new trilateral meeting format. It was blocked before, and now it has been unblocked," he added.

Zelenskyy acknowledged that Russia does not support a European presence at the talks. He noted, though, that it is the European side that will take part in future security guarantees for Ukraine. "But we hope that one way or another we will find a way to involve Europe," he said. "Ultimately, we are talking about security guarantees for Ukraine. I do not see this happening without Europe. After all, we are talking about reconstruction."

Asked why Ukraine accepts formats that exclude Europeans, he said Kyiv is using every chance to advance the process. "Of course, I think it is important for Europe to be there. But if the Americans say no, [and that] this time we will only have a trilateral meeting, we will not ruin this opportunity to meet. Because we need to move this process towards peace in any format."

The president added that more clarity is needed on who will represent Europe in negotiations to end the Russian-Ukrainian war.

The comments follow a statement from Ushakov, an aide to the Russian leader, who said the European side would not take part in the trilateral technical talks between the US, Ukraine and Russia due next month. Zelenskyy has said he expects the meeting to take place between 6 and 10 November.

He has also said that, after a conversation between European leaders and Putin, there are signs Russia is serious about a meeting of negotiating teams in Abu Dhabi. According to Zelenskyy, whether the early November trilateral meeting of Ukrainian, US and Russian technical teams goes ahead depends on the United States.