Ukraine Strategy: Kyiv Prioritizes November Talks Over European Presence

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed on Wednesday that Kyiv will pursue negotiations with the United States and Russia in early November regardless of whether European officials are included. He stated that Ukraine will use every available opportunity to advance the process toward peace, even if the format remains strictly trilateral.

Zelenskyy made these remarks during a press conference with Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten. He clarified that the upcoming session involves technical groups from the US, Russia, and Ukraine. While he did not definitively confirm that Europe would be absent, he emphasized the need for European involvement in the wider negotiation framework.

"First and foremost, this will be a trilateral meeting of technical groups: the United States, Russia and Ukraine," Zelenskyy said. "But you know that we have been working from the very beginning on how to involve Europe."

The president characterized the current arrangement as a resumed effort rather than a new structure. He noted that the trilateral format had been previously blocked but is now active. He observed that while Russia opposes a European presence at the table, European nations will likely participate in future security guarantees and reconstruction efforts.

"Ultimately, we are talking about security guarantees for Ukraine. I do not see this happening without Europe. After all, we are talking about reconstruction," he said. "But we hope that one way or another we will find a way to involve Europe."

When asked why Ukraine accepts a format that excludes Europeans, Zelenskyy argued that refusing the meeting would waste a critical window for progress. "If the Americans say no.. we will not ruin this opportunity to meet. Because we need to move this process towards peace in any format," he stated. He added that clarity is still needed on who will represent the European bloc in these discussions.

These comments follow a statement from Dmitry Ushakov, an aide to the Russian leader, who said Europe would not take part in the trilateral technical talks scheduled for next month. Zelenskyy expects the meeting to occur between 6 and 10 November. He indicated that the decision to proceed rests with the United States, following indications that Russia is serious about holding a separate meeting of negotiating teams in Abu Dhabi.