US Envoys to Press Russia on Europe Joining Next Round of Ukraine Peace Talks

US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will press Russia during the Ukraine peace talks in Abu Dhabi to agree to European participation in the next round of negotiations, Politico reported on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, citing US officials. Washington wants this to be the last meeting held without Europe at the main table, testing Moscow's insistence that the talks stay strictly trilateral.

The two-day talks opened in the United Arab Emirates capital on Tuesday, the first time Russian, Ukrainian and American negotiators have met face to face in nine months. But European security advisers in Abu Dhabi have been kept out of the main room, and the United States now plans to argue that cannot continue if the next round is to produce anything durable.

Key Points

• US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will press Russia in Abu Dhabi to agree to European participation in the next round of Ukraine peace talks, Politico reported.
• Washington wants this to be the last meeting without full European participation.
• European security advisers from Britain, Germany, France and Italy, plus NATO and EU officials, are in Abu Dhabi but are excluded from the main talks by Russian objections.
• Day one covers security guarantees for Ukraine and the future European security system; day two covers territory.
• German Foreign Minister Johan Wadephul: "Europe belongs at this table. There can be no solution without Europe, only with Europe."

What Happened

According to Politico, the American delegation will use the two days in Abu Dhabi to push Moscow to accept European participation in the next round of negotiations. One US official put it bluntly: "We need Europe at the negotiating table. That's why we propose to bring the Europeans into the discussion after this tripartite meeting."

The push reflects a deliberate sequencing choice. The current round was designed as a trilateral meeting because that was the only format Moscow would accept. But American officials now say that format has served its purpose as a restart, and that any serious attempt to settle the war needs the Europeans in the room.

The Europeans are not bystanders here. Day one is dedicated to security guarantees for Ukraine and the future European security system. Day two turns to territory, where Moscow demands concessions including Ukraine's withdrawal from Donbas. European advisers from Britain, Germany, France and Italy, along with NATO and EU officials, instead met the Ukrainian and American delegations separately on Tuesday morning.

Background and Context

The Abu Dhabi meeting is the fourth round of trilateral negotiations, but the first since February, when the delegations last met in Geneva. All three previous rounds ended without a breakthrough, and officials have played down expectations for this one. Even so, the three sides in the same room again is the most serious diplomatic opening of the year.

Europe's exclusion has been a sore point since the talks were announced. France confirmed earlier that Europe would take part in Abu Dhabi, but that turned out to mean side sessions, not the central negotiations. Russia has insisted the talks stay strictly trilateral, and it named a hardline delegation: Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky, joined by military intelligence chief Igor Kostyukov. Before the talks opened, both sides signalled some flexibility on territory. The talks opened as Russia pounded Ukraine's power grid, leaving about 600,000 without electricity.

Ukraine Peace Talks: Europe's Fight for a Seat at the Table

The argument for bringing Europe in is practical, as much as political. Any security guarantee for Ukraine would ultimately be underwritten by European states — through troops, money, weapons and sanctions. A settlement negotiated without the countries that must enforce it risks collapsing when tested.

For Moscow, though, the objection is strategic. Russia has long preferred to negotiate with the United States alone, treating Europe as a junior partner. Accepting European participation would amount to accepting that the settlement is a European question, not just an American-Russian one — and that is precisely the concession Witkoff and Kushner are now asking for.

Reactions and Quotes

The strongest European voice so far has been Germany's. After meeting Rubio at the G7 in Paris on Monday, Foreign Minister Johan Wadephul said: "Europe belongs at this table. There can be no solution without Europe, only with Europe." The remark was aimed as much at Washington as at Moscow.

Jared Kushner, who leads the American effort with Witkoff, has described the central question as "how do we create the right security relationships between Ukraine and Russia and Europe." That framing already treats Europe as part of the answer, even if Russia still treats it as an outsider. Moscow has not publicly responded to the American push.

Why It Matters

The question of who sits at the table has dogged every attempt to end the war. Previous rounds produced prisoner exchanges and humanitarian gestures, but no political settlement — in part because the parties who would have to guarantee and pay for a settlement were not always in the room.

If the United States succeeds in widening the next round, the talks would change character: from a three-way negotiation about ending the fighting into a broader one about the European security order. If Moscow refuses, the process keeps restarting in the same narrow format, with Europe consulted on the margins — an arrangement European leaders will not accept indefinitely.

What Happens Next

The talks run through Wednesday, November 11, with security guarantees on day one and territory on day two. The American push on European participation is expected to be raised during the sessions, and Russia's response will shape how the next round is organised.

EU leaders will discuss who should represent Europe at their informal summit in Dublin this week. A named representative would give Washington a proposal to put to Moscow. If enough progress is made in Abu Dhabi, work would begin on a possible leaders' summit; if the talks stall, as the previous three rounds did, the diplomatic track will pause again.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the US envoys asking Russia to agree to?
They want Moscow to agree Europe joins the next round, after the current trilateral meeting in Abu Dhabi.

Why is Europe not in the main talks in Abu Dhabi?
Russia insists the talks stay strictly trilateral, and European advisers in Abu Dhabi meet the Ukrainian and American sides separately.

What is on the agenda in Abu Dhabi?
Day one covers security guarantees and the future European security system; day two covers territory, including Moscow's demand that Ukraine withdraw from Donbas. Kyiv also hopes to discuss prisoner exchanges and a maritime and energy ceasefire.

What did Germany's foreign minister say?
After meeting Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the G7 in Paris, Johan Wadephul said: "Europe belongs at this table. There can be no solution without Europe, only with Europe."

What happens after the Abu Dhabi talks end?
EU leaders will discuss Europe's representative at an informal summit in Dublin this week. If the talks progress enough, work could begin on a leaders' summit.

Read more: First trilateral peace talks in nine months in Abu Dhabi; Europe will join Abu Dhabi Ukraine talks, France confirms; Russia and Ukraine show flexibility on territory.