France Confirms Europe Will Join US-Mediated Abu Dhabi Ukraine Peace Talks
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said on 8 November that Europe will be represented at the United States-mediated Ukraine-Russia peace talks in Abu Dhabi, scheduled for 10-11 November. The talks were first announced on 29 October when the Kremlin said a three-way meeting would be held in Abu Dhabi, with aide Vladimir Medinsky leading the Russian delegation. The United States later confirmed that special envoy Steve Witkoff would facilitate working-level talks and would meet European and NATO partners on security guarantees.
First Lady Melania Trump announced she would host a separate ceasefire discussion at the White House, and President Donald Trump met Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev in Washington, saying a broad agreement involving Ukraine and possibly Europe was expected before the Abu Dhabi summit. Ukrainian intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov expressed hope that the trilateral talks could pave the way for a future meeting between President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and President Vladimir Putin, even as Russian strikes continued on Ukrainian energy sites.
