The President of Ukraine, Volodimir Zelenski, has advanced this Tuesday that the security guarantees and the measures for the economic recovery of his country will be the priority matters in the new round of tripartite contacts with Russia and the United States, which will take place next week in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.
"The U.S. side has already given signals that it wants to talk about security guarantees for Ukraine and about a package for the recovery of our State," Zelenki said during a press briefing jointly with the German foreign minister, Friedrich Merz, on the occasion of his surprise trip to Berlin.
In addition, Zelenski has indicated that among the goals of this round of dialogue, scheduled for November 10 and 11, is reaching a ceasefire that protects energy facilities and other critical infrastructure from the arrival of winter, as well as making progress in unblocking the Black Sea.
In this regard, he stressed that "not only Ukraine" is interested in this point, but also Russia and "other countries in Africa and Asia," in addition to "various partners," referring to the impact that the increase in attacks in the Black Sea is having on food exports to numerous States.
The head of the Ukrainian State has also defended continuing to drive forward, and even expand, the exchange of prisoners, one of the few areas in which the delegations have managed partial understandings in previous rounds.
Role of Europe in the talks
Zelenski has wanted to highlight the role of European countries in all of this process and has said that he trusts that he will be able to count on their presence in a future meeting at the level of heads of State and Government, whose preparation should begin already at this meeting in Abu Dhabi.
"There cannot be stable and lasting peace if Europe does not participate in the negotiations in one way or another," Zelenski emphasized that, later, at a security forum held in Berlin, he highlighted the role that his host can play in all of this, according to Ukrinform agency.
Thus, the Ukrainian president has pointed out that, given the possibility that the United States will see its influence as a global power reduced, it is essential that Europe strengthen its position on the international stage and "this is impossible without Germany," he said.
"We know that without Europe, Ukraine would not have survived. Without Germany and other European countries, without the EU, the Russians would have swept away many more of our cities," Zelenskiy thanked, who has warned that the security of the continent depends on its main powers, even more so in a context marked by the uncertainty generated by midterm elections in the United States.
For his part, the German chancellor has expressed reservations to the media about Russia’s willingness and has recalled that, until now, Moscow has not offered clear signs that it wants to reach an agreement. "Up to now I don’t see that happening," Merz has lowered expectations.
Merz has agreed on the need for Europe to be present in these talks and has stressed that there are issues that "can only be resolved" with its direct involvement.
Along these lines, he has announced an upcoming meeting in Berlin on November 19 of the so-called 'coalition of volunteers', in which Ukraine’s partners expect to close the scope of the next support package, "mainly military," for the year 2027.
Europe seeks its place in the negotiation
In the past few hours, the special envoy of the United States, Steve Witkoff, has confirmed a new round of contacts for November 10 and 11 in Abu Dhabi, the setting of previous meetings in which the deep disagreements that still separate Moscow and Kyiv became clear.
Witkoff has also advanced that U.S. representatives will meet this week with delegations from several European countries, including France, Germany and the United Kingdom, as well as with envoys from NATO and the EU.
Kyiv’s European allies insist, from the start of the process, on taking a seat at the negotiating table, arguing that the continent’s security architecture is at stake, its role as the main supplier of armaments to Ukraine, and Ukraine’s aspirations to integrate in the future into the EU. However, both Washington and Moscow have chosen to postpone that incorporation.
Three high-level summits will follow the Abu Dhabi meeting, including that of the G20, which will be held in mid-December in Florida, where speculation is that Russian president Vladimir Putin could be present, invited by his U.S. counterpart, Donald Trump.
Previously, Putin, Trump and the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, could have coincided on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC), which will be held in the Chinese city of Shenzhen on November 18 and 19, a meeting that has raised fears about the possibility that the issue of Ukraine will be addressed behind closed doors.