‘No Decisions on Europe Without Europe’: Sybiha, Kallas Press Russia Ahead of Abu Dhabi

Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha insisted that Europe must be given a direct role in efforts to end Russia’s war, countering Moscow’s earlier refusal to include European representatives in next week’s trilateral discussions in Abu Dhabi.Sybiha made the remarks during a press conference alongside EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Radoslaw Sikorski on Friday, Nov. 6, according to Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The press conference followed a ministerial meeting of the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS) in Warsaw.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.“My main message at today’s ministerial meeting was simple: there can be no decisions about Ukraine without Ukraine, and there can be no decisions about the security of Europe without Europe,” Sybiha said.“Therefore, Europe must be part of the peace process – both before and after the meeting in Abu Dhabi,” he continued.The trilateral meeting, which includes both Russia and the US, is scheduled for Nov. 10-11.Ukraine is taking the meeting very seriously, Sybiha said, outlining Kyiv’s main priorities: security guarantees, de-escalation in the Black Sea, an energy truce, the return of abducted Ukrainian children, and prisoner exchanges.Russian losses at record level, authorities sayBoth Sybiha and Kallas cited heavy Russian losses. The estimated figure for October alone stands at more than 54,000 Russian soldiers killed or seriously wounded. Other Topics of Interest Damaged Grid Forces Ukraine to Export Power as Kyiv Faces Blackouts, Expert Says Ukraine’s power plants can generate enough electricity, but damaged high-voltage lines prevent enough of it from reaching Kyiv, energy analyst Oleksandr Kharchenko said. “This is a staggering amount, roughly the capacity of Warsaw’s National Stadium,” Kallas said. “Russia cannot sustain such losses on such a scale indefinitely,” she continued.According to Sybiha, Ukraine’s positions on the frontlines are also currently the strongest they have been in the last three years of the war.Kyiv Post, however, could not independently verify these figures.Kyiv seeks Polish air defense, drone supportAhead of the CBSS ministerial meeting, Sybiha held separate bilateral talks with Sikorski, briefing his Polish counterpart on the latest developments in the war.The two ministers also coordinated their positions for the upcoming trilateral talks.According to the foreign affairs ministry, Sybiha credited Warsaw’s “principled leadership” and realistic approach with strengthening Europe and bringing a just and lasting peace closer.He also described Poland as a reliable ally and a key logistics hub for Ukraine.Much of the discussion focused on Ukraine’s defense needs, including air and missile defense, ahead of Russia’s escalating winter campaign. The expansion of bilateral cooperation on drones was also on the agenda, with Sybiha noting that continued military assistance is crucial as Moscow steps up its attacks on Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure.Diplomatic ties between Kyiv and Warsaw came under significant strain earlier this year amid a dispute over Ukraine’s decision in May to name a military unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), which Poland holds responsible for the WWII-era Volhynia massacres.The row escalated in June, when Polish President Karol Nawrocki stripped President Volodymyr Zelensky of the Order of the White Eagle, Poland’s highest state honor, prompting senior Ukrainian authorities, including Sybiha, to return their Polish decorations.Both sides, however, have since committed to continuing dialogue, and joint exhumation work in Volhynia resumed this summer.On Friday, the two ministers agreed to continue working toward normalizing relations. “I am grateful to Radosław for bringing us together at such a timely moment to coordinate our next steps,” Sybiha said. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 90% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.