Europe Rejects US-Russia Security Talks Without Its Involvement

US President Donald Trump said Thursday that he expected a “very big” deal with Moscow involving Ukraine and “all of Europe.” Jared Kushner, Trump’s envoy and son-in-law, said Washington was working on “a broader European security architecture,” prompting concern among allies who oppose Russian President Vladimir Putin’s calls to overhaul Europe’s security arrangements.

“We already have a European security architecture in place,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told journalists in Warsaw. She said Russia continued to break the treaties underpinning it, adding that NATO posed no threat to Russia in 2021 or now. Putin, she said, “does not have a veto over European security.” Kallas also said the European Union would need to be part of any agreement for it to be implemented.

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said an agreement on Ukraine’s and Europe’s future made “above our heads” would be “not just unwise. It is actually impossible.” Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga said Moscow “cannot be the security guarantor for the European continent,” arguing that talks should focus on protecting Europe from Russia, not dividing it into spheres of influence.

Washington has renewed its efforts to end the war in recent weeks. US representatives met officials from NATO, the EU and major European powers in Brussels for two days this week ahead of the Abu Dhabi talks. Kushner said the US aim was to develop practical arrangements addressing “the security concerns of all sides.” He added that Washington would consult European partners during the talks and, if progress was made, seek a broader multilateral format with their direct participation.

Before Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022, the Kremlin demanded changes to Europe’s security arrangements, including the withdrawal of NATO troops from eastern Europe. The alliance rejected that demand. An EU spokeswoman said more work was needed for peace and that the bloc would decide its own security matters. NATO said Ukraine’s allies were working for a “just and sustainable” end to the war.