European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has confirmed that senior European Union officials will attend the US-hosted peace talks between Ukraine and Russia in Abu Dhabi on November 10 and 11. The decision gives the bloc a seat near the negotiating table after months of argument about Europe's role.
The joint institutional team will be led by von der Leyen's chief of cabinet, Bjoern Seibert, and Anna-Maria Boura, chief foreign-policy adviser to European Council President António Costa. France, Germany and the United Kingdom will attend separately as the E3.
Von der Leyen linked participation to Ukraine's call for a ceasefire covering food and energy infrastructure and to restoring freedom of navigation in the Black Sea. Those aims provide concrete tests for a process that otherwise remains burdened by incompatible positions on territory and security.
EU officials have left open the possibility of meeting the Russian delegation directly, something they have not done in this peace format. US envoy Jared Kushner said a wider multilateral arrangement would follow if progress emerged, but he did not confirm when or where it would occur.
The European presence follows criticism from Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who complained to Costa about disorganised diplomatic formats and demanded a special envoy. Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski also warned against Western Europeans negotiating over the heads of eastern members.
Ukraine will send a team including Rustem Umerov, Kyrylo Budanov, Sergiy Kyslytsya and Davyd Arakhamia. Russia's delegation will be led by Vladimir Medinsky with Sergei Ryabkov and Mikhail Galuzin, while Steve Witkoff and Kushner will represent the United States.
Von der Leyen's decision solves the question of physical presence, not European unity or influence. The EU delegation must now coordinate institutions and national governments, protect Ukrainian agency and determine whether direct contact with Moscow can produce verifiable steps rather than simply multiply diplomatic formats.
