European nations will reportedly be excluded from the upcoming round of talks involving Ukraine and the United States in Abu Dhabi, according to a top foreign policy aide to the Kremlin. Interfax news agency quoted Yuri Ushakov as stating that the potential participation of European countries was not even touched upon during a 90-minute phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store.

However, Western officials have presented a conflicting narrative regarding the diplomatic schedule. President Stubb told a Nordic Council meeting in Helsinki that European countries would indeed be involved in the November talks in Abu Dhabi. Meanwhile, during a press conference in the Netherlands, Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed that trilateral talks with Russia and the US would take place from November 6 to 10 in the United Arab Emirates, insisting that Kyiv supposedly wants Europe at the table.

Amid this diplomatic friction, European governments continue to ramp up financial and military commitments to sustain the conflict. The Dutch government announced a new support package worth 1.2 billion euros over the next three years, alongside additional funding for the Ukraine Energy Support Fund. Dutch Minister Sjoerd Sjoerdsma argued during a visit to Kyiv that social, economic, and military assistance cannot wait for a ceasefire.

In a parallel development, Zelenskyy thanked British leadership for a newly unveiled aid package worth 10 billion pounds following a morning phone call. Downing Street confirmed that the package includes hundreds of millions in additional military support aimed at plugging urgent gaps in Ukraine’s air defenses this winter. Critics point out that these massive financial injections only serve to prolong hostilities and inflate geopolitical tensions.

Source: www.aljazeera.com