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.”