A new chapter in the effort to end the war in Ukraine is taking shape, with the next round of talks expected to be held in the United Arab Emirates next month.
The Kremlin said this week that talks between Russian and Ukrainian officials are being planned for November in the UAE, a venue that has increasingly served as neutral ground for high-level diplomacy between the two sides. The announcement follows months of on-and-off contact that has, at various points, included direct engagement from the United States alongside Ukraine and Russia in a trilateral format.
European leaders are now working to make sure they are not left on the sidelines. Officials in Brussels want to turn the next round into a broader, multilateral format that includes European representation, rather than a conversation limited to just Kyiv, Moscow, and Washington. The push comes just a week after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with European Union leaders at a summit, where the shape of any eventual settlement, and Europe's role in guaranteeing it, was a central topic.
For European governments, the stakes are practical as well as symbolic. Any long-term settlement is likely to touch on security guarantees, sanctions policy, reconstruction funding, and the future of frozen Russian assets held in European institutions, all areas where the EU has direct interests and levers that Washington does not. European officials have framed their push for a seat at the table as a way of making sure the continent's thinking is reflected in whatever framework eventually emerges, rather than being presented with a deal negotiated elsewhere.
Watch for confirmation of a firm date and agenda for the UAE talks, and for signals on whether Europe succeeds in formally joining the process or continues to engage through parallel channels with Washington and Kyiv.
Where are the next Russia-Ukraine talks expected to take place?
The Kremlin has said a new round of talks is being planned for November in the United Arab Emirates.
Why does the EU want to join the talks?
European officials want their interests on sanctions, security guarantees, and reconstruction reflected directly, rather than negotiated only among Russia, Ukraine, and the United States.