The European contingent includes national security advisers from France, the United Kingdom, Germany and Italy, as well as 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 pressure from Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who warned against fragmentation in a letter to European Council President António Costa last week.
Despite its presence in Abu Dhabi, the European team is not expected to be in the room during the main negotiations, according to two senior officials with knowledge of the format. A German official told POLITICO that the format of the talks would be “determined as discussions progress.” The Kremlin has expressed its opposition to the direct participation of Europeans in the negotiations, according to the same senior officials.
Here’s a quick overview of the main European players 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 European efforts to end the war in Russia and secure a European seat at the negotiating table.
In addition to representing Germany in the E3 format, Sautter also coordinates the German-led “Berlin Format” – a German-led coalition to bring together Ukraine, the E3 and other European countries such as Italy, Poland or the Scandinavian countries as well as NATO, the EU and others including Canada – which seeks to lead the Ukraine peace talks and coordinate support for kyiv.
At a news conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last week, Merz noted that Sautter “is now dedicating a significant portion of its workforce to diplomatic efforts to end this war.”
Gn world
