The European Union expects a joint delegation at future senior-level Ukraine discussions, while Russia says planned Abu Dhabi talks in the first half of November will begin in a trilateral format. The Commission has not said whether its officials will attend that round.
At an Oct. 23 briefing, European Commission spokesperson Arianna Podestà said the bloc expects to take part in further multilateral discussions at senior-official level. The delegation would include representatives from the Commission and European Council. Podestà said European officials would meet separately from Russian counterparts, following an arrangement used in earlier Miami talks.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the Abu Dhabi talks would begin with Ukraine, Russia and the United States. Interfax reported that Peskov left open the possibility of other participants in later discussions.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine had agreed to a team-level meeting with Russia and the United States during the first half of November, provided Russia participates. He said Europe should also take part and urged the process to advance to a meeting of leaders.
The statements set out different expectations for the format: Brussels anticipates EU participation in future multilateral talks, while Moscow described the next Abu Dhabi session as trilateral. Euronews reported that Brussels' interest in joining was partly linked to concern about Washington's approach to Moscow. Podestà did not cite that rationale in her public remarks.
Zelenskyy held meetings in Oslo on Oct. 20, including a session with U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who joined online. He separately met European leaders and national security advisers from the EU, NATO, the United Kingdom, Germany and Italy. EconoTimes earlier covered the Kremlin's response to proposals discussed in Oslo.
The Abu Dhabi meeting is planned for the first half of November, but no specific day or final attendee list has been announced.
