Kremlin excludes EU from Ukraine talks; Brussels pushes for peace role

Russia stated it does not plan to invite European Union representatives to upcoming trilateral talks on ending the war in Ukraine. The European Commission responded that it continues diplomatic efforts toward a lasting peace. EU Commission spokesperson Paola Pinho said the bloc has been involved and keeps working to end the war, without confirming EU presence at the next round. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy supports European participation but is open to a trilateral format if the US insists. Kremlin officials Yuri Ushakov and Dmitry Peskov said on October 28-29 that the trilateral format excludes the EU, citing a lack of unified European approach. Zelenskyy expects a Ukraine-US-Russia meeting in Abu Dhabi before November 10.