Zelenskyy insists Europe must be part of peace talks with Russia
Photo: Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine (Getty Images)
Europe must be present at negotiations with Russia even though Moscow opposes it. At the same time, the EU needs to decide on its representative, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during a press conference with Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten.
"Of course, as I have already told you, Russia has never supported Europe's presence. They don't want it. They want only the US, and they don't even want the Americans to stand between us as mediators. But we hope that, one way or another, we will find a way to involve Europe," the Ukrainian president stressed.
Zelenskyy stressed that both security guarantees and post-war reconstruction are impossible for Ukraine without Europe. He noted that European businesses would also help Ukraine and added that "Europe will play a huge role."
"At the same time, we need more clarity from Europe on who will actually represent them at the table, and that is also important," Zelenskyy emphasized.
The president stressed the importance of Europe's participation in the upcoming talks in Abu Dhabi.
"Russia wants to talk about something new—they want to discuss the security architecture in Europe. How can you negotiate security in Europe without Europe? And who are you going to do it with, China? Well, that's interesting," the president said.
Zelenskyy also added that "we will work on a list of those who will represent Europe."
Zelenskyy previously said that Ukraine was waiting for the US to confirm the date of a trilateral meeting with Russia to discuss ending the war. The talks are expected to take place between November 6 and 10.
Earlier, the Ukrainian president also said that talks between Ukraine, the US, and Russia on ending the war could take place on November 10.
