Ukraine, Zelensky: ‘Constructive talks in Abu Dhabi; security guarantees discussed’

The German Foreign Minister, Johann Wadephul, has called for Europe to participate in the continuation of the negotiations that have just begun between Ukraine and Russia, with the United States acting as mediator. “I was aware that we would not be able to secure Europe’s full participation at the very outset. But I am very confident that this can happen in the future,” said the CDU politician. “The sooner we manage to do so, the more effective the negotiations will be.” Germany was represented in Abu Dhabi by Günter Sautter, foreign and security policy adviser to Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Wadephul emphasised that, with regard to the issue of security guarantees for Ukraine, the country’s accession to the EU and a future easing of sanctions, it is inevitable that Europe must be present at these negotiations.

During the first round of trilateral talks between Ukraine, the United States and Russia, held in Abu Dhabi on 10 November, the parties reportedly agreed to proceed with a “large-scale prisoner exchange in the near future”. This was reported by Ukrainska Pravda, citing a source close to the Ukrainian delegation. “According to the outcome of the first day of the trilateral talks, our delegation’s efforts have yielded a significant result: we have managed to reach an agreement on a large-scale prisoner exchange in the near future,” the source said. The Ukrainian news agency’s source reported that during the first round of talks between Ukraine, the United States and Russia in Abu Dhabi, the parties discussed security guarantees and Russia’s demands, and touched upon the issue of the post-war future.

Russia is now seeking to capitalise on the onset of winter to break the Ukrainian population through attacks on energy and electricity infrastructure, whilst Kyiv’s ability to intercept the bombardments is said to have been drastically reduced due to Russian technological advances. This was stated today by Defence Minister Guido Crosetto, on the sidelines of the presentation in Rome of the 2027 Defence Calendar.

“The threats facing Ukraine have also changed. Russia has now turned its attention to the civilian population; it is trying to break the people’s spirit by depriving them of the means to keep warm during the winter – in other words, by targeting the energy and electricity infrastructure,” the minister said.

“A fundamental prerequisite for the success of the budget negotiations is our understanding of how we will support Ukraine in the coming years, because this is a shared European responsibility, not a task for individual Member States. That is how we have always viewed it, and that is how we have structured our policy towards Ukraine in recent years.” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz made these remarks at a press conference with Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar in Berlin, whilst discussing the ongoing negotiations on the European Union budget.

“We must fully reflect the policy on Ukraine in the EU budget; I know there are differing views on this and that at least four Member States take a different line, but we must continue to discuss this issue. Peter Magyar and I have spoken openly about the fact that this is also a domestic political issue in Hungary.”

Russia “will not accept European demands for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine; Brussels is simply trying to buy time”, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, as quoted by Interfax. “All we are hearing from Brussels and other European Union capitals at the moment is a call for an immediate ceasefire. It is the same old logic: they absolutely must buy time for their clients, the regime in Kyiv, and use that time to somehow make up for the military losses they have suffered. We will not accept this; we have already said so many times,” said Lavrov.

The first day of talks between Ukraine and Russia, mediated by the United States, has concluded in Abu Dhabi. This was announced by the press office of the Ukrainian Foreign Intelligence Service, as reported by the Ukrainian news agency RBK. The talks will resume on Wednesday morning.

Yet another senseless shooting in Kraków provides an opportunity to focus on the role of Poland, which has always been a vital logistical corridor for the delivery of Western aid to Ukraine in the war against Russia. The indirect effects of the electoral tsunami in the US are also being felt in this area.

A parliamentary republic, with a geographical area slightly larger than Italia’s and a population of 36 million, Poland’s GDP (one of the 38 members of the OECD) currently accounts for 5 per cent of the EU’s GDP; its per capita GDP of €34,000 compares with the EU average of €41,600. From an economic outlook perspective, GDP growth is forecast to pick up, approaching a modest 3 per cent in 2027. Core inflation has fallen from a peak of 12 per cent in 2003 to 2 per cent today and is expected to remain low despite rising energy import costs (mainly from Gulf countries). Investment appears set to grow by 6–7 per cent following a decline two years ago. With unemployment at a relatively low level (3.3 per cent), the government is aiming to reduce the economically inactive population, as well as encouraging moderate inflows of migrant labour, in order to increase the labour supply. To date, Poland is hosting around 1 million migrants who have fled Ukraine, ranking second only to Germany, which has taken in 1.3 million.

“Europe stands with Bulgaria during these difficult times. Because security in the Black Sea is European security,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen today during a press conference at the Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy in Varna, alongside Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev.

Regarding her discussion with the Bulgarian leader, von der Leyen stated that “freedom of navigation in the Black Sea must be restored and preserved”. “It is vital for Bulgaria’s and Europe’s trade routes, but also for the Ukrainian economy and global food security. It guarantees food supplies for millions of people who depend on it, particularly on the African continent”. Furthermore, the European leader stated that, together with Sofia, they are “stepping up maritime surveillance”. “There is still much to be done, but we can already make use of the satellite imagery provided by Copernicus. The number of images downloaded has doubled since September. This is immediate added value that Europe can provide,” von der Leyen emphasised.

“Absolutely yes, Crosetto will be in Parliament today, at the COPASIR meeting; once the formalities have been finalised, we will send the material.” This was Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani’s response, at the conclusion of the G7 Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Paris, when asked whether Italy’s support for Ukraine was guaranteed, as was its aid.

“We appreciate Italia’s continued political, military and economic support for Ukraine, including the decision to extend the authorisation to provide assistance until 2026.” This was written on X by the Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Andrii Sybiha, following his meeting with the Italian Foreign Minister, Antonio Tajani, on the sidelines of the G7 Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Paris. “Strengthening Ukraine’s air defence and expanding cooperation in the defence industry remain key priorities. I also thanked Italia for its concrete support for Ukraine’s energy resilience ahead of winter,” added Tajani. “We have coordinated our positions on the broader security challenges and reaffirmed the importance of European unity.”

The Foreign Minister, Antonio Tajani, held talks with the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, on the sidelines of the G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting currently taking place in Paris. The exchange of views took place whilst the final session of the meeting, dedicated to the crisis in Ukraine and cyber-attacks, was underway.

“This afternoon’s meeting at Copasir is a formal step; authorisation is granted by Parliament at the start of the year and, following notification to Copasir, aid can be dispatched. This procedure was not introduced by this government, but by previous ones. It is not a political issue.” So said Defence Minister Guido Crosetto during the presentation of the Defence calendar. For Crosetto, the issue of the war in Ukraine “cannot be tackled through the prism of political allegiances. It is a complex issue. You cannot throw the baby out with the bathwater – and the whole house along with it.”

“Any future agreement must respect sovereignty, territorial integrity and decision-making autonomy, and provide credible security guarantees to Ukraine”. This is stated in the declaration published on X by US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff following the meeting between representatives of the United States, Ukraine and European partners, ahead of the trilateral talks with Russia in Abu Dhabi. The parties met to “continue close coordination on efforts to end the war in Ukraine and create the conditions for a lasting peace”, including by supporting “robust security guarantees as part of any agreement”. “‘The shared objective is to develop a concrete security framework, with mutually reinforcing measures, that will consolidate Ukraine’s long-term security and build the trust necessary to reach a negotiated settlement’, the statement continues. The participants also discussed how to build on existing European institutions and agreements once the war has ended. They recognised that “addressing post-war security issues and reducing the risk of conflict is essential” and discussed how to ensure “robust mechanisms to manage risks and prevent dangerous escalations”. The participants reaffirmed “their shared commitment to a robust European security architecture and to solid post-war security arrangements”, emphasising that “a strong NATO will remain central to Euro-Atlantic collective defence”. The United States, Ukraine and European partners “will continue to work in close cooperation throughout the negotiation process”, with the aim of “moving towards broader multilateral talks involving European partners and achieving a comprehensive and lasting peace”.

The Danish Foreign Minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, announced today that the country will donate 4.2 billion kroner ($630 million) in military aid to Ukraine, just as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is set to meet with the leaders of the Nordic countries in Copenhagen. Copenhagen’s foreign minister made the announcement to journalists following a meeting with the Danish Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, adding that Denmark will also donate 150 million kroner to Ukraine’s energy sector.

The row over the dispatch of weapons to Kyiv has been postponed within the majority. The matter will be revisited next month, when the new ‘framework’ decree on civilian and military aid deliveries in 2027 is due to be discussed. That will be the occasion on which the League intends to put up a fight, to put into practice the political mandate that the leader Matteo Salvini secured from the extraordinary congress that confirmed him as party leader, mobilising the League to halt the flow of money and arms to Kyiv.

The United States wants a new security framework for Ukraine, Russia and Europe in order to guarantee peace: this was stated in Abu Dhabi by US envoy Jared Kushner, at the start of talks between the countries involved in the conflict. “The hope today is not only to discuss bilateral issues between the countries and how to end the war, but also how to establish the right security arrangements between Ukraine, Russia and Europe, so as not only to end this war, but also to create a new framework” to ensure “decades, if not centuries, of peace”, said Kushner.

Internal sources in both the United States and Ukraine report that Donald Trump’s heavy defeat in the mid-term elections has lent new urgency to the need to bring the war in Ukraine to an end. The Economist reports this, stating that the arrival of a Democratic majority in both houses of Congress in January sets a clear deadline for its chief negotiators, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who may soon face investigations into alleged conflicts of interest. The United States is also considering the idea of redrawing the administrative boundaries of Ukraine’s regions

Europe wishes to take part in the trilateral talks between Russia, the United States and Ukraine solely because it does not want the resolution of the Ukrainian issue to be negotiated under the auspices of the United States: this was stated by Rodion Miroshnik, the Russian Foreign Ministry’s ambassador-at-large, in an interview with the newspaper Izvestia.

“We have never opposed direct talks between Russia and Europe: it is the Russians who have so far been unwilling to engage in them,” said US Secretary of State Marco Rubio at a press conference. “The national security advisers from Germany, the United Kingdom and France – if I am not mistaken – are currently in Abu Dhabi; I do not believe they are sitting at the table at this very moment, but they have certainly been involved. They also took part in all the meetings at Shell Bay, in Florida, so certainly. Ultimately, this would be a positive development, but there is still a long way to go. In any case, it is good that talks are taking place; it is positive that the trilateral discussions have resumed. It is always better than not talking at all. Obviously, something concrete needs to come of it, and so far it has been difficult to achieve productive results, but we will continue to try. That is precisely what we have been trying to do from the outset: to be creative and find a way to help bring an end to this conflict, to this war,” explained the Secretary.

Trilateral talks between Russia, the United States and Ukraine have begun in Abu Dhabi. This was reported by a source to the TASS news agency. The meeting is taking place behind closed doors, without the press present. As noted by the Russian President’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, the talks will focus on security guarantees. The Russian delegation is led by presidential adviser Vladimir Medinsky, whilst the Ukrainian delegation is headed by the head of the Foreign Intelligence Service, Rustem Umerov. The negotiating teams from the three countries last met in Geneva on 18 February.

The negotiations on Ukraine are “increasingly affecting the security of the entire continent. Many elements of a comprehensive agreement depend on European decisions: security guarantees, reconstruction, sanctions and Ukraine’s path towards the EU. This is why Europe must speak with one voice and establish a clear, shared mandate”. This was the view expressed by sources at Palazzo Chigi following the start of talks in Abu Dhabi. These sources explain that this is precisely what Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni requested in her letter to President Antonio Costa: to discuss the matter at the informal European Council meeting in Dublin, with a view to reaching a decision at the European Council in December. Palazzo Chigi welcomes Mr Costa’s willingness to act on the request and to take the matter forward.

“We have held talks with both sides. I believe we have managed to identify and narrow the differences regarding what can be achieved, and we have some good ideas on how to bridge the gap further. I hope that today we can establish an open, frank and comprehensive dialogue,” said the White House Special Envoy, Jared Kushner.

“A productive meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha. We discussed the ongoing negotiations to end the war between Russia and Ukraine, energy resilience and defence cooperation.” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote this on X, posting a photo of the bilateral meeting, which took place on the sidelines of the G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting currently being held in Paris. “The United States,” Rubio assured, “remains focused on achieving a lasting and stable peace.”