European countries, including France, will take part in the Russia-Ukraine talks scheduled to begin on Tuesday in Abu Dhabi under US mediation, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said on Sunday. Speaking on RTL and Public Sénat, Barrot confirmed that "the Europeans will be well represented and France will be in Abu Dhabi to take part in these talks," though he did not specify who would represent Paris at the negotiating table.
"I cannot yet tell you who will represent France on this occasion, but it will definitely be there," he added. Barrot's remarks come after weeks of European pressure on Washington to ensure that any discussions about the continent's security architecture include European voices. "In recent weeks Europeans have made themselves heard. They have explained to the American mediators that no discussion concerning the future of this continent can ignore our expectations and our demands," he said.
The talks, initially presented as a trilateral format involving Ukrainian, Russian and American officials, have been expanded to include European participation. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had explicitly called for Kyiv's European allies to be involved. The change follows a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev on Thursday, after which Trump predicted an imminent "major agreement" with Russia on Ukraine that, in his words, "could cover all of Europe" and that "everyone will be delighted with." Barrot said he did not know what Trump had in mind, stressing that no agreement with "consequences for the European security architecture" could be "designed, or even discussed" without the Europeans.
Mélenchon under fire over Donbas referendum remarks
Barrot also used the interviews to attack Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the hard-left leader of La France Insoumise and a presidential candidate, describing him as a "mouthpiece of the Kremlin." The accusation follows Mélenchon's rally at Le Bourget on Saturday, where he advocated holding a referendum on the status of the Donbas, a region largely occupied by Russian forces. "It is for the people to decide," Mélenchon told thousands of supporters, arguing that any peace deal involving territorial concessions should be put to the populations concerned.
Moscow has already staged sham consultations in annexed Crimea and in four partially occupied regions of south-eastern Ukraine, procedures rejected by Kyiv and the international community. Barrot warned that "all over the world the Kremlin is trying to convince heads of state and government that, basically, the Donbass is Russian and that the war of aggression is a war to liberate the Donbass." He called Mélenchon's stance "of unprecedented seriousness" and said it "definitively disqualifies him from holding the offices he aspires to."
The war in Ukraine has become a contentious issue in the 2027 French presidential campaign. Marine Le Pen, who leads in the polls, and Mélenchon, currently in second place, have both taken positions seen as favourable to Putin. Le Pen said in mid-October that she would end French financial aid to Ukraine, which she estimates at €6 billion a year, if elected. Zelensky responded that "Madame Le Pen does not have a very good grasp of certain details" of French-Ukrainian military cooperation, defending a "win-win" partnership that he said also benefits France's security.
The Abu Dhabi talks come amid continued Russian strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure, including recent attacks on the Kyiv region that damaged energy facilities. European leaders have repeatedly insisted that any settlement must respect Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. The EU has also rejected any US-Russia plan to reshape European security without Brussels, a position echoed by Barrot. As the talks approach, the question of who speaks for Europe remains central, with France and other EU members determined to have a seat at the table.
