Wadephul doubts Russia's willingness to negotiate

Before Ukraine meeting in Abu Dhabi Wadephul warns of Russian “negotiating show” As of: November 9th, 2026 • 6:19 p.m

Starting Tuesday, Abu Dhabi will be talking about a possible end to the war in Ukraine. Are these serious peace talks? Foreign Minister Wadephul doubts Russia's willingness to negotiate - and calls for the Europeans to have a say.

Ukraine and Russia are negotiating again under the mediation of the USA. A possible agreement will be discussed in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates from Tuesday. However, Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul is skeptical about the Kremlin's willingness to negotiate. Russia must "finally give up its maximum demands," said the CDU politician on the sidelines of the G7 foreign ministers' meeting.

“Is there a real willingness on the part of Russia to negotiate?” asked the minister. Or, "is this just a negotiation show designed to distract from the fact that Russia wants to continue a brutal war of aggression, especially against the civilian population?"

The G7 foreign ministers meet in Paris for two days of consultations. One topic: the Ukraine war. more

Last week, US President Donald Trump promised a “very big” agreement that could affect “all of Europe”. Now, after a conversation with his US counterpart Marco Rubio, Wadephul made it clear that there is no need for a new European security architecture - as put forward by the USA. The German Foreign Minister referred to existing international treaties that have been in force for decades. If you want to confirm this again, that would certainly be correct. However, fundamental changes are not required.

At the same time, Wadephul reiterated that the Europeans must be at the table in the Ukraine negotiations. A spokeswoman for the European Commission and France emphasized that they are taking part in the talks, but exactly how European representatives will be involved remains unclear.

An end to the Ukraine war is to be negotiated in Abu Dhabi - initially without European representatives. more

According to US mediator Jared Kushner, the US wants to consult with representatives of Ukraine, the EU, NATO, Germany, France, Great Britain and Italy before the talks begin.

Ukrainian negotiator Rustem Umerov announced that the Ukrainians would "hold separate coordination meetings with our European partners" on the sidelines of the talks in Abu Dhabi. Positions have already been agreed with EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, wrote Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj on Platform

Moscow and Brussels are dampening expectations after US President Trump's announcement of a major Ukraine agreement. more

Details of the agenda for the two-day talks are not yet known. Kushner wrote on Platform "We hope these discussions will identify areas of common ground, advance practical solutions and build momentum for the next phase of negotiations."

However, Sergei Lavrov mentioned other priorities. According to the Russian Foreign Minister, US President Trump's team has put "collective security" at the forefront, which includes not only Russia and Ukraine, but also a larger area.

With information from Ruth Kirchner, ARD Capital Studio

This topic in the program: tagesschau.de | Wadephul: No “negotiation show” in Abu Dhabi | November 9, 2026 | 5:25 p.m