Kremlin says Europeans won't be invited to Ukraine peace talks, contradicting Zelenskyy
The Kremlin says European representatives will not be invited to upcoming trilateral talks between Ukraine, the United States and Russia, contradicting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's statements about possible European participation.
Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov told Russian state broadcaster Vesti on October 28 that the three countries had agreed to hold technical talks without European representatives.
"They can get there if they buy tickets, but nobody is going to invite them to the negotiating table," Ushakov said.
He also declined to confirm November 10 as the date of the talks in Abu Dhabi, as indicated by Zelenskyy, saying the exact date would be announced soon.
Zelenskyy, meanwhile, said Ukraine was working on a list of European representatives who could join the discussions. He noted that European national security advisers had participated in previous meetings, although Russia had generally opposed their involvement.
The conflicting statements leave both the participation of European representatives and the precise date of the next round of talks unresolved.
Ushakov had previously acknowledged that Europe's position could prove decisive in efforts to end Russia's war against Ukraine, saying Washington had been unable to persuade Kyiv to make concessions.