Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned that discussing a new European security framework before ending Russia's war on Ukraine would be dangerous, particularly for the European Union, rejecting any repeat of the Yalta settlement that divided Europe. He made the remarks in a CNN interview on Friday, reported by ANI and CNN on Saturday, days before US-mediated trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi on November 10-11.

Source: ANI via NewKerala

"When they do not want to speak about how to end this war, I mean Russia, they want to start with a new security infrastructure in Europe. It's dangerous," Zelenskyy said. "It's more dangerous for the EU, not for us," he added. He said he was not aware of all the details of a potential new framework proposed by US President Donald Trump.

Source: CNN via ANI

Ceasefire first, Zelenskyy says

Zelenskyy reiterated that Ukraine supports a ceasefire and de-escalation but has seen no signals from Russia that it is ready to act. Asked whether he believed Trump's envoy Jared Kushner when he said any agreement must respect the territorial integrity of every country, Zelenskyy said Ukraine had received several proposals, some useful and important, and that sovereignty and territorial integrity are the minimum for any free, democratic country.

"We don't want to have Yalta two. We are not ready for such a problem. We don't want to be divided by Russia," he said. Pointing out that Ukraine is a member of neither the EU nor NATO, though it is seeking EU membership, he said any arrangement affecting European security would affect all countries in the region: "We all live in Europe."

Putin confirms Abu Dhabi talks; Europe responds cautiously

Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed on November 6 that the next US-mediated trilateral talks are expected to begin on November 10 in Abu Dhabi, according to Russia's TASS news agency, after US envoy Steve Witkoff announced the November 10-11 dates. The agenda covers post-war security agreements, de-escalation, humanitarian measures and ending the war, with Witkoff and Jared Kushner expected to represent the United States.

Source: TASS via StockBiz

Ahead of Abu Dhabi, Kushner outlined five objectives for a broader European security framework on November 5, following Brussels talks involving Ukraine, NATO, the EU and European partners: regular security consultations, a reliable crisis communications system, greater military transparency, reciprocal de-escalation measures and a sustainable framework for European stability. Europe responded cautiously: EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on November 6 that Europe already has a security architecture in NATO and the EU, that Ukraine must be integrated into it, and that Russia does not have a veto over European security.

Source: Politico EU / Anadolu via StockBiz

Awaaz Punjab earlier covered the announcement of the Abu Dhabi talks and Zelenskyy's preparatory call with Witkoff and Kushner. Read the Abu Dhabi talks announcement

The war behind the diplomacy

Zelenskyy also highlighted the scale of recent Russian attacks, stating that Russian forces had launched 289 attack drones, 17 ballistic missiles and 59 cruise missiles, primarily targeting energy infrastructure including power generation and substations across regions including Odesa, Cherkasy, Zhytomyr, Vinnytsia, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Chernivtsi, Chernihiv and Rivne, where emergency outages were reported. Those figures are Ukrainian officials' account, attributed here as such.

What happens next

Working-level delegations from Ukraine, Russia and the United States are due in Abu Dhabi on November 10-11, the first US-mediated trilateral round since February. No ceasefire, peace agreement or agreed security framework has been announced. Zelenskyy's warning sets Kyiv's public line before the talks: end the war first, and do not build a new European order over Ukraine's head.