Former NATO Chief Warns Europe Against Begging for Ukraine Talk Seat

Former NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has warned Europe against merely pleading to be part of peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia in Abu Dhabi, Euronews reported. US-led talks taking place in Abu Dhabi are the first substantive negotiations in months focused on ending the conflict, according to the Guardian. Euronews reported that Rasmussen urged Europe to stop begging for a place at the negotiating table and instead prove its relevance. [1][3]

Rasmussen stated that Europe is already in a weak position, Euronews reported. He urged European leaders to make themselves indispensable by bringing assets to the table rather than asking for inclusion. The talks aim to end a conflict that has raged for more than four years, according to the Guardian. [1][3]

Hours before the Abu Dhabi talks began, Russia launched overnight attacks across 10 Ukrainian regions, the Guardian reported. Ukrainian Prime Minister Sergii Koretskyi stated that the strikes hit five major energy substations in the Poltava, Dnipropetrovsk, Vinnytsia, and Kirovohrad regions. [3]

As FTMQ News reported earlier, the European Commission previously convened discussions with Western allies, including the United States, France, Germany, Britain, and NATO, to prepare for peace negotiations in Abu Dhabi. Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski had also warned that Western allies must not sideline Eastern European security interests in negotiations to end the war. [14][15]