Zelensky in Berlin: No stable peace unless Europe is at the table

Volodymyr Zelensky drew a line in the sand in Berlin on Tuesday: Europe gets a seat, or there is no deal. Speaking beside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, the Ukrainian president said flatly that there can be no stable peace unless Europe is at the negotiating table.

His eyes are on Abu Dhabi, where two-day talks begin November 10. Zelensky said he hopes those sessions will pave the way for a trilateral sit-down at the level of heads of state and government. The Kremlin has already confirmed the dates, with Dmitry Peskov telling reporters that Vladimir Medinsky will lead Moscow's delegation.

Zelensky laid out what he wants on the agenda: security guarantees, a prosperity package for reconstruction, and a proposed truce covering energy infrastructure and the Black Sea. He dismissed Russia's suggestion of hosting a meeting in Moscow as counterproductive, calling for serious negotiations instead of a gimmick.

Merz used the joint appearance to promise more help, pledging additional assistance for air defense, energy and winter needs in the months ahead. The war's outcome, he warned, will determine European security for a long time to come, and he welcomed the Abu Dhabi talks while urging Russia to finally engage seriously. He also pointed to a November 19 meeting of the Coalition of the... according to Breaking The News.

The diplomacy is moving on several tracks. The White House announced that First Lady Melania Trump will host Russian and Ukrainian representatives in Washington on Thursday, November 5, citing a ceasefire she secured in Oleshky and the surrounding Kherson region that it called an unprecedented diplomatic initiative by an American First Lady. Peskov, meanwhile, claimed Ukraine keeps targeting Russia's energy infrastructure and said Moscow will add new measures to protect it.

In Warsaw, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe Alexus Grynkewich warned him of a possible Russian provocation in early November. Tusk stayed tight-lipped on specifics but told opposition politicians not to make useful idiots of themselves, saying he had information that pro-Russian politician Janusz Korwin-Mikke will visit Belarus.