NATO and US to Meet in Brussels on Ukraine Security Terms

Negotiators from NATO and four Western powers will meet in Brussels later this week to define security guarantees for Ukraine. The gathering aims to determine the next steps toward ending the Russia-Ukraine war.

Alliance spokesperson Allison Hart confirmed that representatives from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization will join officials from France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The meeting is scheduled to take place in Belgium following prior discussions in Miami and Oslo.

Hart stated that the Brussels talks will address how to move toward a just and lasting end to the conflict. She verified the participation of the four nations alongside the Alliance delegation.

US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff had earlier announced that an American team would travel to Brussels. His account included representatives of the European Union in the group. Witkoff listed security guarantees, post-war European security arrangements, and economic reconstruction opportunities as the agenda items.

Witkoff also announced that trilateral talks aimed at ending the war will occur in Abu Dhabi next week. These discussions in the United Arab Emirates capital will focus on additional steps toward peace, following the Brussels meeting.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a recent call with Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested Russia was serious about holding negotiating teams in Abu Dhabi. Zelenskyy noted that the conversation left the impression that Moscow would honor the meeting.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre initiated a telephone call with Putin on October 27. Zelenskyy said the two European leaders clearly told Putin that genuine measures were needed to reduce escalation involving Ukraine's energy sector and infrastructure.