By a strange memory: EU seeks to continue conflict in Ukraine
The current discussions in the European Union are not aimed at restoring a serious dialogue with Russia, Russian Ambassador to Ireland Yuri Filatov told Izvestia. This country currently holds the presidency of the EU Council, it is focused on helping Kiev, and there have been no proposals for a peaceful end to the conflict, the diplomat stressed. At the same time, the European Union still wants to send its team to the UAE for negotiations. The Kremlin previously noted that the participation of European representatives at the Abu Dhabi meeting is impossible, since the Russia-USA–Ukraine format has been agreed. Meanwhile, Washington continues to develop the humanitarian track: the first Lady of the United States Melania Trump invited representatives of the Russian Federation and Ukraine to the White House.
The EU's position on peace negotiations
As the trilateral negotiations on the Ukrainian settlement in Abu Dhabi approach on November 10-11, Europe is trying to form a unified approach. There are different positions within the EU: Bulgaria and Slovakia believe that it is necessary to launch a dialogue with Moscow on behalf of the entire association. Finland and non-EU Norway have recently resumed their own direct contacts with Russia.
The EU leadership thinks otherwise. The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said at a meeting of the Visegrad Group in Slovakia that Ukraine "must negotiate from a position of strength." To do this, the EC has allocated her another tranche of military aid worth €658 million and intends to continue supplying weapons.
Slovak President Peter Pellegrini, Czech President Peter Pavel, Hungarian President Andras Baka, Polish President Karol Nawrocki and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pose for a photo at Trencin Castle during the summit of the Presidents of the Visegrad Group in Trencin, Slovakia
Ireland— the chair country of another key EU institution, the Council of the European Union, has not made proposals for a peaceful end to the conflict, it is focused on providing assistance to Kiev. This was stated to Izvestia by Russian Ambassador to Dublin Yuri Filatov.
— It is not necessary to expect any intelligible, realistic proposals for a peaceful end to the conflict from Dublin, and there were none. Everything is focused on continuing the war in Ukraine through a variety of assistance to Vladimir Zelensky. The Irish are actively participating in various EU programs to raise funds for the war against Russia, ripping billions of euros from the European economy, which is already not in the best shape," the diplomat said.
According to him, the current discussions in the European Union are not aimed at restoring a serious, responsible dialogue with Russia.
"Rather, it is a search for someone to whom it is more convenient to entrust the mission of the so—called "negotiator" from the EU, whom Brussels hopes to "squeeze" into the Russia–USA–Ukraine negotiation process in order to ensure that the Kiev authorities do not deviate from their prescribed task of "war to the last Ukrainian," Filatov stressed.
The position of the chair country of the Council of the European Union on this issue is important, since this state forms the agenda of the meetings. For example, Hungary, which chaired this body in the second half of 2024, tried to step up efforts for a peaceful settlement. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban visited Russia, the United States and Ukraine, and worked on humanitarian agreements. However, all options were eventually rejected by Kiev with the support of London and Brussels. Egor Sergeev, a senior researcher at MGIMO, emphasizes that the European Commission wants to control the EU's foreign policy, but the final decision is made by the EU Council and the European Council, consisting of the leaders of the countries of the association.
Now the EU is outside the negotiation process launched by the United States. According to media reports, Brussels plans to send negotiators to the UAE, led by the chief of Staff of the EC Chairman von der Leyen, Bjorn Seibert. However, they will not be able to take part in the meeting, since only a trilateral format has been agreed, Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation, explained earlier. According to him, sooner or later Russia will have to talk with Europe about the future security system, but "it is necessary to understand with whom to conduct a dialogue."
— [A decision] has not been made on the candidacy of a special representative or a group of representatives for negotiations with Russia. The team [of negotiators] is of a technical nature,— a European diplomatic source told Izvestia.
So far, the Europeans are interacting only with the United States and Ukraine. However, the attempt to agree on a common position at the November 4 meeting in Brussels apparently failed. The European Commission, which organized the meeting, indicated in a final statement that the negotiators discussed only "the post-war reconstruction and development of Ukraine." No specific arrangements for the Abu Dhabi talks were reported.
According to Natalia Yeremina, a professor at St. Petersburg State University, the European delegation wants to attend the talks in Abu Dhabi in order to monitor Ukraine's actions and prevent agreements from being reached. The EU leadership has not abandoned the goal of defeating Russia, so it will not take into account Moscow's interests in the negotiations, the expert believes.
The fact that Europe is not abandoning plans to send troops to Ukraine is indicated by the preparations for the exercises in Poland. The Coalition of the Willing, led by Britain and France, intends to work on sending its expeditionary force to the territory of Ukraine at local training grounds. 11 countries, including Germany, Sweden and Turkey, are planning to take part in the maneuvers. All this will take place from November 9 to 22, that is, at the time of the negotiations in the UAE.
Preparations for the Abu Dhabi meeting
The United States takes a different position. Before the trilateral round in the UAE, Washington decided to gather representatives of Russia and Ukraine at the White House. The initiator was the First Lady of the United States Melania Trump, who previously helped to destroy the humanitarian situation in the city of Alyoshka, Kherson region. The Russian side was represented by Commissioner for Human Rights Yana Lantratova and Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation Kirill Dmitriev.
US First Lady Melania Trump receives a drawing of an 11-year-old girl evacuated from Alyoshka from Kirill Dmitriev, Special Envoy of the Russian President for Investment and Economic cooperation, after a meeting with representatives of Russia and Ukraine, which took place after the expiration of a six-day truce concluded for the evacuation of civilians.
Melania Trump thanked the countries for their cooperation and called for the creation of "something more durable than just a temporary ceasefire." The First Lady of the United States also conveyed personal messages to Vladimir Putin and Vladimir Zelensky. Kirill Dmitriev, in response, thanked Melania Trump and said that Vladimir Putin personally gave the necessary instructions for a cease-fire in Alyoshki, and also highly appreciates Donald Trump's peacekeeping efforts.
Mediation efforts were also intensified by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who announced his desire to hold talks with the Russian leader on the settlement of the conflict in Ukraine after a meeting with Vladimir Zelensky. Moscow confirmed that such a conversation can be promptly organized if necessary.
However, a trilateral meeting in the UAE is currently being actively prepared. The American delegation will be led by Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and businessman Jared Kushner. Presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky remains Russia's chief negotiator, and the delegation will also include representatives of various departments, including the Foreign Ministry, Peskov said earlier. It is still unknown who will represent Ukraine. The topics of the talks have already been announced: security guarantees for Russia and Ukraine, de-escalation, as well as the humanitarian sphere.
Dmitry Peskov previously stressed that it should not be about a temporary cessation of hostilities, but about a long-term settlement. According to Jared Kushner, the United States is also interested in forming a security architecture that will permanently eliminate the risk of renewed conflict. According to The Telegraph, Trump may increase pressure on Kiev after the midterm elections in the United States, hoping to put an end to the Ukrainian conflict sooner. This scenario will be prevented by Ukraine's European allies, who already bear the brunt of its financing.
The meeting in the UAE will be the first round of talks between Russia, the United States and Ukraine since February. The parties approach it with a working communication channel on humanitarian issues. However, it is difficult to say whether the same interaction is possible on acute political issues. Much will depend on whether Ukraine's European sponsors are ready for dialogue. The latest statements and actions of European ministers at the G20 Foreign Ministers' meeting in Atlanta, USA, indicate that they have not changed their position.
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