Who’s who for Europe at the Ukraine talks in Abu Dhabi

Senior officials from the EU, NATO and key European capitals travel to Abu Dhabi this week to participate in U.S.-brokered talks geared toward ending Russia’s war on Ukraine — allaying fears that Europe risks being completely cut out of the process.

The talks coincide with growing concerns in Europe about potential concessions to Russia after Jared Kushner, son-in law and adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump, said last week that discussions would focus on a “new European security architecture” — a phrase often used by Russian officials to mean reducing NATO’s presence in front-line nations and limits on Ukraine’s armed forces.

Ukraine will be represented by Rustem Umerov, the head of Kyiv’s foreign intelligence service, along with senior officials Kyrylo Budanov and David Arakhamia. Russia’s contingent is to be led by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky. Representing the U.S. side will be Kushner and U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff.

The European contingent includes national security advisers from France, the U.K., Germany and Italy, in addition to senior officials from NATO as well as the European Commission and the European Council. The inclusion of EU figures as well as an Italian representative follows a push by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who warned of fragmentation in a letter to European Council President António Costa last week.

Despite their presence in Abu Dhabi, though, the European team is not expected to be inside the room during the main negotiations, according to two senior officials aware of the format. A German official told POLITICO that the format of talks would be “determined as the discussions progress.” The Kremlin has voiced opposition to Europeans directly participating in the talks, according to the same senior officials.

Here’s a quick look at the key players from Europe in Abu Dhabi.

Günter Sautter (Germany)

Sautter is German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s foreign and security policy adviser and a senior career diplomat who has become a major figure in Europe’s efforts to end Russia’s war — and secure a European seat at the negotiating table.

Besides representing Germany in the E3 format, Sautter is also coordinating the German-led “Berlin Format” — a German-led coalition to bring together Ukraine, the E3 and other European nations such as Italy, Poland or the Scandinavian countries as well as NATO, EU and others including Canada — that seeks to steer Ukraine’s peace talks and coordinate support for Kyiv.

At a press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last week, Merz remarked that Sautter “is now devoting a significant portion of his workforce to diplomatic efforts to end this war.”

Sautter’s main credo in the talks is that there can be no discussion about a future European security architecture before Russia agrees to a ceasefire.

Fabrizio Saggio (Italy)

Fabrizio Saggio, diplomatic adviser to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, will also attend the talks, according to an Italian official.

Saggio, whose surname means “wise” in Italian, has earned the not-particularly-original sobriquet “Mister Wolf” in the Italian press, a reference to his role as Meloni’s go-to troubleshooter on major international issues, resolving problems and providing strategic advice.

Rustem Umerov attends a press conference in Istanbul, Turkey on July 23, 2025. | Yasin Akgul/AFP via Getty Images

Meloni met him during a visit to Tunis, where he was serving as Italian ambassador, to sign a migration deal. “It took her 20 minutes to realize that he was the one” for the job, an Italian diplomat said.

In a letter sent to European Council President António Costa last week and seen by POLITICO, Meloni complained about the proliferation of negotiating formats on Ukraine. She called for this week’s informal gathering of EU leaders in Dublin to also discuss Ukraine and decide “once and for all, who sits at the negotiating table representing the European Union, and with what mandate.” Costa agreed to put the issue on the agenda.

In the same letter, Meloni also said: “I am not asking for a seat for Italy in this or that format.” But she got one anyway.

Geoffrey van Leeuwen (NATO)

Geoffrey van Leeuwen is NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte’s chief of staff. A career diplomat who has served everywhere from Kabul to Mumbai, van Leeuwen is a longtime Rutte loyalist who was trade minister and national security adviser during the boss’ time as Dutch prime minister.

Known as an affable and sharp operator who largely shuns the public eye, van Leeuwen helped steer NATO through seemingly unending crises mostly prompted by Donald Trump this year, including the U.S. President’s push to annex Greenland and the fallout from the U.S. war in Iran.

NATO doesn’t formally have any role in negotiating a peace deal. But where the talks touch on alliance issues — troop movements, security guarantees or Ukraine’s NATO accession — van Leeuwen will have an interest. His task is primarily “to observe, report back” and make sure “NATO is aware of what’s being said,” said an official familiar with the matter.

Jonathan Powell (United Kingdom)

U.K. National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell is expected to attend on behalf of the U.K.

The former aide to Tony Blair, known for his role in the Northern Ireland peace process, was brought back into government under Keir Starmer and stayed on under Andy Burnham. He has since become one of London’s most reliable links to Washington and is known to have a particularly strong relationship with Witkoff.

His position has come under scrutiny in recent months, however, with reports that he is on his way out of Downing Street.

Bjoern Seibert (European Commission)

Ursula von der Leyen’s chief of Cabinet is her most trusted lieutenant and one of the most influential figures in Brussels.

A close confidant who helps steer her political and diplomatic work, Seibert is a central player in the EU’s discussions on Ukraine. His presence in Abu Dhabi puts von der Leyen’s office in the mix as Kyiv, Washington and Moscow discuss the war.

He has joined earlier rounds of Ukraine talks, including meetings in Miami and Oslo with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, where officials discussed security guarantees, territory and Ukraine’s postwar recovery.

Jonathan Powell leaves No. 10 Downing St. in London on Oct. 24, 2025. | Leon Neal/Getty Images

Seibert will play a similar role to the national security advisers of the E3 countries and NATO’s van Leeuwen, and will be present at whatever tables they’re sitting at, according to an EU official. But the Europeans are likely to be briefed separately because the Kremlin has repeatedly objected to them being present in the room for the three-way talks, including on Monday.

Anna-Maria Boura (European Council)

As European Council President António Costa’s chief foreign policy adviser, Boura will be the EU’s member countries’ eyes in Abu Dhabi.

Her place on the ground marks the Council’s return to the Ukraine talks, after Costa’s office was absent from earlier rounds in Miami and Oslo, where Seibert represented the Commission.

Boura’s profile is rising as Pedro Lourtie, Costa’s chief of Cabinet, is expected to leave for a new diplomatic role in the U.S. (It was Lourtie who opened a channel to the Kremlin this summer, speaking by phone with an official close to Vladimir Putin.) Boura also played a key part in the EU-Canada summit, holding the pen on the bloc’s side of the work on the joint declaration.

Emmanuel Bonne (France)

As Emmanuel Macron’s chief diplomatic adviser, Emmanuel Bonne is the man called upon to jet off to key venues — like Abu Dhabi this week — to lay the groundwork for the French president’s most important geopolitical initiatives.

Bonne, a career diplomat who served in multiple postings in the Middle East, joined Macron’s team in 2019 — a long tenure at the Elysée compared to some of his peers. Bonne was reportedly headed toward the exit in January 2025 due to a major dispute with the president’s chief of military staff, but Macron convinced him to stay on.

Hans von der Burchard, Esther Webber, Zoya Sheftalovich, Jacopo Barigazzi, Nicholas Vinocur, Victor Jack and Joshua Berlinger contributed to this report.