Negotiations on ending the war in Ukraine should also address a new European security architecture - political scientist Fesenko

Negotiations on ending the Russian-Ukrainian war should cover not only bilateral issues between Ukraine and Russia, but also the formation of a new security system for all of Europe. This position was expressed by political scientist Volodymyr Fesenko, commenting on statements by representatives of the U.S. administration ahead of a trilateral meeting in Abu Dhabi. The president warned against Europe negotiating with Russia, stressing that Kyiv does not want a repetition of the “second Yalta.” According to the political scientist, the war has long since moved beyond a purely Ukraine-Russia confrontation and has become a pan-European geopolitical phenomenon.

Fesenko shared his view on Facebook, drawing attention to statements by the president’s special envoy to the United States, Jared Kushner. According to Kushner, Washington, together with partners, is working on five goals of a new European security architecture:

permanent security consultations;

reliable crisis communications;

greater military transparency;

reciprocal steps to reduce the risk of escalation;

a stable framework for long-term stability.

Kushner voiced these theses after talks in Brussels 4-5 in November, which served as a preparatory round ahead of the trilateral meeting in Abu Dhabi.

“But the very idea of a broad European security framework is correct. The question is how to interpret it—as a peace settlement with Russia, or as military-political deterrence of Russia from new acts of aggression against its neighbors,” noted political scientist Volodymyr Fesenko.

The political scientist reminded that former commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian armed forces, Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, had spoken earlier about the need for a “global solution” to end the war and the destruction of the old system of international security in Europe. According to Fesenko, that thesis once drew an ironic reaction from colleagues, but today it is becoming relevant.

“Unfortunately, representatives of the Ukrainian authorities did not respond. What debates are there when everything is decided by one person and one Office,” noted Volodymyr Fesenko.

At the same time, the political scientist warned that pushing for a “broad European security framework” by the Trump team carries serious risks, since, in his assessment, the cornerstone of the American administration’s approach lies in business interests, including returning Russia to the European energy market. Fesenko also noted that U.S. President Donald Trump 5 in November stated there would be a future peace agreement potentially affecting not only Ukraine but all of Europe.

Europe has yet to decide on the format of its participation in the negotiations

According to Fesenko, the key question remains who exactly will represent Europe in negotiations with Russia and in what format this will occur—by expanding the trilateral format to a multilateral one, or by creating parallel talks among the EU, NATO, the United States, and Russia. The political scientist noted that the first scenario is less likely, as both Russia and the American administration oppose it, since they seek to monopolize control over the negotiating process.

Separately, Fesenko emphasized that for Ukraine, postwar security guarantees must be not formal assurances but real instruments—sanctions against the aggressor, military and financial aid, and maintaining defense capability. In his view, an effective security system for Europe is impossible without Ukraine, which has unique experience from modern warfare, including the use of unmanned systems and electronic warfare.

Earlier, Informator reported that the Office denied information that Budanov would lead Ukraine’s delegation to talks with the United States and Russia in Abu Dhabi. The delegation, as before, would be led by Rustem Umerov, and Budanov would join its composition without the head-of delegation status. We also wrote that in Brussels 4 in November there were talks among Ukraine, the United States, Europe and NATO, where recovery packages and security guarantees were discussed, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced a summit of the Coalition of the Willing 19 in November.