Zelenskyy tells EU leaders Europe must be a regular part of Ukraine talks

Key facts

• Zelenskyy said Europeans are now part of the talks but do not speak directly to Russia, so Europe must become a regular participant.
• Two days of Russia-Ukraine-U.S. talks in Abu Dhabi ended on Wednesday without a breakthrough and without European officials.
• Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday and were due to brief Zelenskyy in Dublin that evening.
• Kaja Kallas said she had seen no goodwill from Moscow and that a ceasefire must come before a peace agreement.
• Emmanuel Macron said Europe must agree its own peace proposals before deciding who represents it.
• EU governments remain divided on a representative; the issue is due at an informal European Council on Friday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pressed EU governments to take a fuller role in Ukraine peace negotiations, telling leaders at a summit in Dublin on November 12 that Europe must become a regular part of the talks. "When the Americans and the Russians talk about this, it's not just about security guarantees for Ukraine," he said. "It's more about some kind of new security framework between Europe and Russia."

Two days of peace negotiations between Russia, Ukraine and the U.S. in Abu Dhabi ended on Wednesday without a breakthrough and without European officials joining, the report said. EU governments remain divided over who would represent them. U.S. President Donald Trump's envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday and were due to travel to Dublin to update Zelenskyy that evening.

Speaking on his way into the European Political Community summit, a gathering of 50 EU and non-EU leaders in the Irish capital, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he had received positive signals from the Abu Dhabi talks but stressed that Ukraine and Europe must be involved. "I expect the Russian government and the Russian president to finally agree to these joint talks," Merz said, adding that the question of who represents the EU would be discussed behind closed doors.