Europe plans to send diplomats from five countries and the European Union to the next round of Ukraine peace talks, European Council President António Costa said Friday in Dublin. The proposed team would give Kyiv’s European partners a place in discussions after the first recent U.S.-brokered meetings in Abu Dhabi excluded them from the core trilateral format.

Which countries would be represented?

Costa said the group would include the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Poland and the EU. He announced the plan after a gathering of European leaders in Dublin, where Ukraine’s role in decisions about its future and Europe’s security was a central concern.

The announcement did not name a single lead negotiator or set a date for the next round. European leaders have discussed whether the bloc should speak through one representative or a broader team, so the format still needs to be worked out.

What changed after the Abu Dhabi talks?

U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner said after meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin on Nov. 12 that European representatives could join the next round. That account came from the U.S. side; the Kremlin’s public comments did not resolve how European officials would take part. The plan Costa outlined is a concrete proposal for who Europe could send, not evidence that the talks have produced a ceasefire or peace agreement.

European officials also disagree with Moscow about the sequence and terms of a settlement. EU foreign-policy chief Kaja Kallas has argued that a ceasefire should come before broader negotiations, while Putin has rejected the prospect of foreign troops in Ukraine after a ceasefire. Those differences leave security guarantees and the negotiating format unresolved.

The diplomacy follows the U.S.-mediated Abu Dhabi meetings reported earlier this week. The Globuzz previously covered the parallel energy strikes reported ahead of those talks in its report on Russia and Ukraine’s energy strikes before Abu Dhabi.

What to watch next

• Whether Russia confirms the proposed European team and what role it would have.
• Which person, if any, will coordinate the European delegation.
• Whether the next round sets a date or produces concrete steps on a ceasefire, security guarantees or humanitarian issues.

Sources

Associated Press: Europe to send a diplomat team to Ukraine talks; European Council: Dublin meeting and statement on Ukraine peace efforts; Reuters report republished by Internazionale on Putin and European participation.