Kremlin Says European Countries Will Not Join Next Ukraine Talks

Russia's Kremlin said on October 28 that European countries will not take part in the next round of Ukraine-U.S. talks planned in Abu Dhabi. The statement came from Yuri Ushakov, a foreign policy aide at the Kremlin, according to Al Jazeera.

Ushakov said that possible European participation was not discussed during a 90-minute phone call on October 27 between Russian President Vladimir Putin, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store. Finland and Norway are both European countries, and the call was the context for the Kremlin's remarks.

Stubb took a different position. Speaking to a Nordic Council meeting in Helsinki, he said European countries would be involved in the talks planned for November in Abu Dhabi. The Nordic Council is a body of lawmakers from the Nordic countries, which include Finland and Norway.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on the same day that trilateral talks involving Russia, Ukraine and the United States will take place from November 6 to 10 in the United Arab Emirates, the country that includes Abu Dhabi. Earlier, the Kremlin said the new three-way talks would be held at a technical level.

Separately, Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten pledged an extra 500 million euros ($556 million) in military support for Ukraine for winter 2026, to be used to buy drones and other equipment. The Dutch government also announced a support package for Ukraine worth 1.2 billion euros ($1.33 billion) over the next three years. Under that announcement, the Netherlands plans to contribute 40 million euros ($44.5 million) to the Ukraine Energy Support Fund by the end of 2026.

The United Kingdom, for its part, has committed 25 billion pounds to Ukraine, including 16 billion pounds in military support, according to a UK government factsheet published on October 13.