A senior foreign policy aide at the Kremlin has said European countries will not take part in the next round of talks between Ukraine and the United States, which is planned for Abu Dhabi.
Yuri Ushakov, as quoted by the Interfax news agency, said the possible involvement of European countries did not come up during a 90-minute phone call on Tuesday. The call involved Russian President Vladimir Putin, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store.
Kremlin and Finland give conflicting accounts of talks
Stubb presented a different version. Speaking to a meeting of the Nordic Council in Helsinki, he said European countries would be involved in the Abu Dhabi discussions scheduled for November.
The disagreement leaves open the question of who will sit at the table. Ushakov’s account and Stubb’s remarks point in opposite directions on the same planned meeting.
Zelenskyy presses for a wider European role
Speaking at a news conference in the Netherlands on Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said trilateral talks with Russia and the United States would run from November 6 to November 10 in the United Arab Emirates. He said Kyiv wanted Europe to be part of those discussions as well.
Zelenskyy argued that unity and stronger pressure on Russia were needed. His remarks followed a meeting with Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten, who pledged an extra 500 million euros ($556m) this winter for military support, including drones and other material to strengthen Ukraine’s defences.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Dutch government announced a support package for Ukraine worth 1.2 billion euros ($1.33bn) over the next three years. It also committed 40 million euros ($44.5m) to the Ukraine Energy Support Fund by the end of this year. Zelenskyy is also due to meet Dutch King Willem-Alexander.
During a visit to Kyiv on Wednesday, Sjoerd Sjoerdsma, the Dutch minister for foreign trade and development cooperation, said: ‘Support for recovery and reconstruction can’t wait for a ceasefire.’ He added that energy systems, hospitals and food production needed to keep running regardless of battlefield successes.
Britain announces 10 billion pound aid package for Ukraine
Zelenskyy thanked British Prime Minister Andy Burnham for a newly announced additional support package worth 10 billion pounds ($13.3bn). He spoke after a phone call on Wednesday morning.
In a post on social media, Zelenskyy described the move as timely and strong, saying it arrived at a moment when Russia needed to see that Ukraine would not be left alone to face the problems Moscow was eager to escalate.
According to Downing Street, the British package includes 500 million pounds ($665m) in extra military support from the Ministry of Defence. The aim, it said, is to plug urgent gaps in Ukraine’s air defences this winter.
