U.S. Envoys Urge Russia to Add Europe to Ukraine Talks

A round of negotiations over the war in Ukraine wrapped up in Abu Dhabi with President Trump's envoys saying they intend to travel to Moscow next, as the Kremlin presses for any settlement to include a broader conversation about European security arrangements, according to The New York Times.

The talks, held in the United Arab Emirates capital, mark the latest stop in a diplomatic effort that has shuttled between Gulf cities as Washington tries to find common ground between Kyiv and Moscow. The Times reports that American negotiators are now pushing to widen the scope of the discussions so that European governments have a seat at the table, rather than leaving security guarantees for the continent to be settled between Washington and Moscow alone.

What happened in Abu Dhabi?

The round of negotiations concluded without a public breakthrough, per the Times, but with a concrete next step: Trump's envoys said they would head to Moscow. The paper does not specify a date for that trip in the material reviewed, nor does it name the individual envoys involved, so readers should treat those details as pending.

Why does Russia want Europe included?

According to the Times, the Kremlin is demanding that any settlement address European security structures more broadly — not just the terms of a Ukraine cease-fire or territorial arrangement. That demand reflects Moscow's long-standing position that NATO's posture in Eastern Europe, not just the war itself, is at the core of the conflict. The Times account does not detail which specific structures Russia wants discussed, whether that means NATO membership questions, troop deployments, or missile placements, leaving that a key unanswered question as talks continue.

Why is Washington pushing to add Europe to the table?

The Times reports that American officials are seeking to broaden the talks to include European governments directly, a shift from a process that has largely run through Washington and Moscow. The move suggests U.S. negotiators see European buy-in as necessary either to make any deal durable or to address the security-structure demands Russia has raised. The Times does not quote specific European officials reacting to the proposal in this account, so their position is not yet on record.

What happens next?

The immediate next step, per the Times, is the trip to Moscow by Trump's envoys. What happens after that — whether European officials join a subsequent round, where any expanded talks would be held, or what a revised American proposal might say about European security — is not addressed in the available reporting.

Why does this matter for Ukraine?

For Kyiv, the question of whether Europe has a formal role in shaping any settlement carries direct consequences, since European governments have supplied much of the military and financial aid sustaining Ukraine's war effort. The Times piece frames the Abu Dhabi round as one stage in an ongoing process rather than a conclusion, and notes the core tension at the center of it: Russia's insistence on discussing European security alongside, or ahead of, a narrower Ukraine settlement.