France will participate in next week’s US-brokered peace talks between Ukraine and Russia in Abu Dhabi, with European countries expected to be represented in discussions on ending the war, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said on Sunday.
Speaking to French radio station RTL, Barrot confirmed that France would be present at the November 10–11 negotiations, although Paris has not yet decided who will lead its delegation.
“France will be around the table. The Europeans will be well represented and France will be in Abu Dhabi to participate in these discussions,” Barrot said. He added that he could not yet disclose who would represent France but stressed that the country would certainly take part.
The announcement comes amid growing European efforts to secure a meaningful role in negotiations aimed at ending Russia’s war against Ukraine. European governments have expressed concern that a peace agreement negotiated primarily by Washington, Kyiv and Moscow could overlook the continent’s security interests and strategic priorities.
US envoy Steve Witkoff announced last Monday that trilateral discussions involving the United States, Ukraine and Russia would take place on November 10–11 in Abu Dhabi. The meeting would mark the first such round of negotiations since a summit in February.
However, the precise format of the upcoming discussions and the extent of European participation have remained uncertain.
Barrot said European governments had been actively communicating their concerns to Washington in recent weeks, insisting that decisions concerning the continent’s future security must involve European countries.
“In recent weeks, Europeans have made their voices heard, expressing to the American mediator that no discussion concerning the future of the continent can disregard our expectations and demands,” he told RTL.
The European Commission has also indicated that the European Union expects to have a say in negotiations involving its security and areas of responsibility.
Commission spokesperson Paula Pinho said on Friday that the EU executive did not yet have details to announce about its participation. However, she emphasized that decisions affecting European security and matters falling within the bloc’s competence were ultimately for the European Union to address.
The question of who should represent the EU in the negotiations has exposed differences among European leaders over how to engage diplomatically with Moscow.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has urged European Council President António Costa to resolve the issue of European representation and establish a coordinated approach to diplomatic contacts with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In a letter sent earlier this week, Meloni raised concerns about the absence of a clear European framework for engagement with Moscow. The letter was partly prompted by a telephone conversation between Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Putin on October 27, which reportedly surprised several European leaders.
Following Meloni’s intervention, Costa placed the issue on the agenda of the European leaders’ summit scheduled for November 13.
The debate reflects broader concerns in European capitals that separate diplomatic initiatives could weaken the continent’s collective position at a critical stage of negotiations.
Meanwhile, European institutions have continued preparations for Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction. On Wednesday, the European Commission hosted a meeting bringing together representatives from Ukraine, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, NATO and the World Bank.
The discussions focused on reconstruction priorities and international coordination as diplomatic efforts to end the conflict continue.
US President Donald Trump has also suggested that the emerging diplomatic initiative could extend beyond Ukraine. Speaking late Thursday after meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin’s envoy Kirill Dmitriev, Trump referred to what he described as a “big, beautiful agreement.”
“It’s going to involve more than Ukraine, and I could even say it might involve all of Europe,” Trump said.
His remarks have raised questions among European officials about the potential scope of Washington’s proposed arrangement and whether it could reshape wider European security relations without sufficient European involvement.
EU officials are particularly concerned that an agreement negotiated without meaningful European participation could weaken existing security arrangements and provide Moscow with greater influence over the continent’s strategic future.
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas reiterated on Friday that Europe’s existing security framework, built around NATO and the European Union, must remain central to any future settlement.
“We already have a European security architecture in place — NATO and European Union both have their respective roles,” Kallas said. “We must make sure Ukraine is integrated into this architecture.”
She also argued that Russia’s repeated violations of international agreements remained a fundamental obstacle to establishing a lasting security arrangement.
“The problem remains that Russia keeps breaking the treaties that underpin it,” she said, adding that “Putin does not have a veto over European security.”
Ukraine’s future relationship with European security institutions is therefore expected to remain a central issue in discussions surrounding any potential peace agreement.
France’s announcement that it will attend the Abu Dhabi talks signals an effort by European governments to ensure that their security concerns are represented as Washington pursues direct negotiations with Kyiv and Moscow.
Although the participation of individual European countries is becoming clearer, questions remain over whether the European Union will send a coordinated delegation and how much influence European representatives will have over the negotiations.
The November 10–11 meeting could provide an important indication of whether the United States, Ukraine and Russia can move toward a negotiated settlement while accommodating Europe’s demand for a central role in determining the continent’s post-war security arrangements.
