Winter aid pledges roll on as Europe sidelined in talks
Dutch and British winter support packages flow while Europe's seat at Abu Dhabi talks stays uncertain
European governments’ role in the next round of Ukraine talks has become a point of contention even as Britain and the Netherlands push ahead with fresh military and financial pledges meant to keep Ukrainian services running through the winter.
A top Kremlin foreign policy aide, Yuri Ushakov, said European countries would not be included in the next round of negotiations involving Ukraine and the United States, planned for Abu Dhabi. Interfax quoted Ushakov saying the possible participation of European countries was not discussed during a 90-minute phone call on Tuesday among Russian President Vladimir Putin, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store.
Stubb gave a different account. Speaking to a meeting of the Nordic Council in Helsinki, he said European countries would be involved in November’s Abu Dhabi talks.
The discrepancy leaves open a practical question for any negotiated process: who sits at the table, and on what timeline. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, speaking at a news conference in the Netherlands on Wednesday, said trilateral talks with Russia and the US would take place from November 6 to November 10 in the United Arab Emirates. He said Kyiv wanted Europe to also be involved, adding that unity and stronger pressure on Russia were needed.
Zelenskyy’s comments came during a visit to the Netherlands, where the delivery side of European support was on prominent display. Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten pledged an extra 500 million euros, about 556 million dollars, in military support to Ukraine this winter, to buy drones and other material to strengthen the country’s defences. Zelenskyy is also due to meet Dutch King Willem-Alexander on Wednesday.
Earlier in the day, before Zelenskyy’s visit, the Dutch government announced a broader support package worth 1.2 billion euros, some 1.33 billion dollars, spread over the next three years, along with a contribution of 40 million euros, about 44.5 million dollars, to the Ukraine Energy Support Fund by the end of this year.
Sjoerd Sjoerdsma, the Dutch minister for foreign trade and development cooperation, framed the packages around urgency of delivery during a visit to Kyiv on Wednesday. “Support for recovery and reconstruction can’t wait for a ceasefire. Ukraine needs our help right now, military support but also social and economic assistance,” he said. He added: “However successful you are on the battlefield, it’s also essential that energy systems, hospitals and food production keep ticking over.”
Meanwhile, the Netherlands was not the only European capital moving on pledges. Zelenskyy thanked British Prime Minister Andy Burnham for a newly announced additional support package worth 10 billion pounds, roughly 13.3 billion dollars, after a Wednesday morning phone call. “A truly strong and very timely step, coming right as Russia needs to see and feel that Ukraine will not be left alone to deal with the problems Russia is so eager to escalate,” Zelenskyy wrote on social media.
According to Downing Street, the new British package includes 500 million pounds, about 665 million dollars, in additional military support from the Ministry of Defence, aimed at what the government described as plugging urgent gaps in Ukraine’s air defences this winter.
Taken together, the pledges point to a European effort focused on immediate operational needs: air defence gaps before winter sets in, drones and defensive materiel, and money for energy infrastructure. By contrast, the disagreement over who participates in the Abu Dhabi talks, with the Kremlin excluding European countries and both Stubb and Zelenskyy saying they should be present, underlines the gap between Europe’s role as a funder and supplier on the ground and its position in any negotiating format.
For now, the money and equipment are moving on defined timelines, with Dutch funds flowing through year-end and three-year horizons and British air defence support tied to this winter. Whether European governments gain a seat in the next round of talks remains unresolved, and the two sides of the same day’s diplomacy, pledges on one hand and exclusion on the other, set the terms of that question.
Q&A
What new support did the Netherlands pledge to Ukraine?
A 1.2 billion euro package (about 1.33 billion dollars) spread over the next three years, plus a 40 million euro contribution to the Ukraine Energy Support Fund by the end of this year, and an extra 500 million euros in military support this winter for drones and other materiel.
What does the British support package contain?
It includes 500 million pounds (about 665 million dollars) in additional military support from the Ministry of Defence, aimed at plugging urgent gaps in Ukraine's air defences this winter.
What did Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov say about European participation in the talks?
He said European countries would not be included in the next round of negotiations involving Ukraine and the United States, planned for Abu Dhabi, and that their participation was not discussed in a 90-minute call between Putin, Stubb and Store.
When and where does Zelenskyy say the trilateral talks will happen?
He said trilateral talks with Russia and the US would take place from November 6 to November 10 in the United Arab Emirates, and that Kyiv wanted Europe to also be involved.