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16 Mar 2025 13:32
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  •   Home > News > International

    Here's what we know about the accelerating Ukraine peace talks

    France has called an emergency meeting of European leaders to discuss the Ukraine war, while US and Russian officials are meeting in Saudi Arabia. This is what we know about the two sets of peace talks.


    French President Emmanuel Macron is set to host European leaders, including Britain's prime minister, for an emergency summit on the Ukraine war on Monday.

    Meanwhile, the United States will be meeting with Russia in Saudi Arabia to talk about the future of Ukraine in a separate meeting.

    Here is what we know about what's happening with the Ukraine talks.

    Why is Europe hosting this emergency meeting?

    European leaders have said they will not accept being shut out of the talks on Ukraine. Their meeting is a result of that.

    The emergency meeting was called after US President Donald Trump stunned Kyiv and European allies last week when he announced he had held a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin without consulting them.

    He added that the US would start a peace process, but there were concerns among European countries about not being involved in these talks.

    Mr Trump's Ukraine envoy Keith Kellogg jolted Europe further over the weekend when he said it would not have a seat at the table for the peace talks, even after Washington sent a questionnaire to European capitals to ask what they could contribute to security guarantees for Kyiv.

    A French presidency official said the acceleration in Ukraine diplomacy meant Europe needed to do more and in a better way for "collective security".

    "These initiatives are an opportunity in the sense that they can help speed up the end of the war in Ukraine, but obviously we still need to agree and see under what conditions the end of the war can be achieved," the official said.

    Who will attend these talks?

    According to a French official, the talks will look at "the security guarantees that can be given by the Europeans and the Americans, together or separately".

    Leaders from Germany, Italy, Britain, Poland, Spain, the Netherlands and Denmark, which will represent Baltic and Scandinavian countries, are expected to attend the talks in Paris. European Union leaders and the NATO secretary-general are also set to be there.

    EU officials said some countries were unhappy that the meeting was only for selected leaders and was not a full EU summit.

    The French presidency official said the meeting would facilitate future discussions in Brussels and at NATO.

    What's happening with the US and Russia talks?

    In a separate set of talks about Ukraine, the US will be meeting with Russian officials in Saudi Arabia, with the expected aim of ending Moscow's nearly three-year war in Ukraine.

    It follows Mr Trump's call with Mr Putin over Ukraine.

    US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who spoke by phone with his Russian counterpart Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Saturday, will meet with the Russian officials.

    Mr Trump's national security adviser Mike Waltz and White House Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff would also attend the talks, a US politician told Reuters.

    The talks will be among the first high-level and in-person discussions between Russian and US officials in years and they are designed to precede a meeting between the US and Russian presidents.

    Mr Rubio said the coming weeks and days would determine whether Mr Putin was serious about making peace.

    Where is Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy?

    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has travelled to the United Arab Emirates (UAE)

    Mr Zelenskyy said he had no plans to meet Russian or US officials, and Ukraine was not believed to be invited to the Saudi-hosted talks.

    Mr Trump said on Sunday that Mr Zelenskyy would be involved in the talks over the war, but he did not elaborate on the role he would play.

    Mr Zelenskyy arrived in Abu Dhabi after attending the Munich Security Conference in Germany.

    The trip is the Ukrainian leader's first to the UAE since the war started but it is not clear what his agenda is while he is there.

    The United Arab Emirates's state-run WAM news agency did not immediately report on Mr Zelenskyy's arrival, which was unusual.

    Abu Dhabi is this week hosting its biennial International Defence Exhibition and Conference arms show, where both Ukraine and Russia have displayed arms.

    Ukrainian Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko did not clarify whether there was a link between Mr Zelenskyy's possible trip and the US-Russia talks.

    In a Facebook post, she said the Ukrainian delegation's focus was strengthening economic ties as Kyiv "prepares to sign important economic agreements with countries in the region".

    ABC/wires


    ABC




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