Reuters quoted Barrot from an RTL interview; no full transcript was located in the sources reviewed. Barrot confirmed France would take part but did not name its representative or explain how other European governments would participate. The Ukrainian president’s Nov. 6 statement confirms consultations with Nordic and Baltic leaders and Kyiv’s position on European involvement, not an Abu Dhabi attendance list. AP reported the announced Nov. 10–11 schedule and separately quoted the Kremlin spokesperson on Europe’s role; that position is attributed to Moscow. The images are archive context: Abu Dhabi photographed on Feb. 4, 2017, and Barrot at a Brussels meeting on Feb. 20, 2024; neither shows the scheduled talks.
France announces attendance, but not its envoy
France will take part in next week’s U.S.-mediated talks on Ukraine in Abu Dhabi, Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said Sunday. He added that European countries would be “well represented,” according to his interview with French radio RTL, but did not say who would represent France or identify the other governments expected to attend.
The announcement puts at least one European government’s presence on the record before the planned Nov. 10–11 meeting. It does not yet establish how European representatives will participate, whether they will join all sessions or speak for a common European position.
Kyiv is pressing for a voice on European security
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy discussed preparations for the meeting on Nov. 6 with leaders from the Nordic-Baltic Eight, a group comprising Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden. His office said the conversation covered Kyiv’s proposals to the U.S. side and a recent Brussels meeting involving NATO and European officials.
Zelenskyy’s office said those leaders shared the view that European nations should participate when matters of Europe’s security are discussed. That is Kyiv’s stated position; it is not a published agenda or a confirmed list of participants for Abu Dhabi.
Attendance does not settle the format
The Nov. 10–11 session is planned as a meeting between Russian, Ukrainian and U.S. delegations. The Associated Press reported it would be the first trilateral peace discussions since February. U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff has said the talks are intended to address ending the war, postwar security arrangements and de-escalation.
On Friday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Moscow had received no European proposals on security guarantees, while also saying Europe’s involvement would eventually be necessary for discussions about security between Russia and Ukraine, AP reported. The scope of any European presence, the delegates’ authority and the substance of the talks remained unsettled in public statements reviewed Sunday.
Sources
3 references
- ReutersEuropeans will join Ukraine talks in Abu Dhabi, French foreign minister saysIndependent report of Jean-Noël Barrot’s Nov. 8 RTL interview, including his statement that France will participate and that Europe will be well represented; no French representative was named. · 2026-11-08
- President of UkraineThe President Discussed Preparations for a Trilateral Meeting in Abu Dhabi With NB8 LeadersPrimary account of Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Nov. 6 online meeting with Nordic and Baltic leaders; says the talks discussed preparations and Kyiv’s proposals to the U.S. side, while asserting European nations should participate in decisions on European security. · 2026-11-06
- The Associated PressZelenskyy seeks postwar security guarantees from Western alliesIndependent report that the planned Ukraine-Russia-U.S. talks are scheduled for Nov. 10–11 and would be the first trilateral discussions since February; reports the Kremlin spokesperson’s statements on European involvement. · 2026-11-06
