US President Donald Trump has suggested Ukraine’s borders could change under a peace deal with Russia, days before US-mediated talks in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
In an interview with CBS’s 60 Minutes, Trump said: “They’re going to end up with a little bit different shape [for] Ukraine.” He did not say which territorial changes he had in mind.
He said he believed the Ukraine war would end soon and blamed the hatred between Volodymyr Zelensky and Vladimir Putin for the lack of a deal. He added he did not think Putin was deliberately stalling.
Trilateral talks between Ukraine, Russia and the US are scheduled for November 10-11, focusing on post-war security arrangements and de-escalation.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on November 8 that Trump was probably alluding to progress on security guarantees for Ukraine and Europe. “There’s been some advances made in what that architecture could look like post-conflict,” Rubio said ahead of talks with G7 foreign ministers in Paris.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said on social media that the European Union would be present in Abu Dhabi alongside its partners. She made the announcement after talks with Zelensky.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot told RTL radio on November 8 that France would attend and make Europe’s voice heard. He insisted Europe would not let anyone speak on its behalf.
Who exactly will sit at the table remains unclear. The Kremlin had earlier said the talks would follow an agreed trilateral format with Russia, Ukraine and the US, ruling out European participation.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has demanded that the EU decide who represents the bloc in the talks and with what mandate. Her letter came after European sources cited by Europa Press said no EU presence was planned in Abu Dhabi.
Trump envoy Jared Kushner said on November 5 that Washington would consult European partners on the sidelines of the talks. Only if progress was made would the US move towards a broader format with their direct participation, he said.
Kyiv and Moscow remain far apart on territory. Putin has repeatedly demanded that Ukraine withdraw from four regions Moscow claimed to annex in 2022, despite never fully controlling them.
The Kremlin also wants Kyiv to drop its NATO ambitions and accept limits on its armed forces. Ukraine rejects ceding any territory and insists on credible security guarantees to deter another invasion.
Kyiv has called for an immediate ceasefire as a first step. It says territorial questions could ultimately be settled only in direct talks between Zelensky and Putin.