Divided capitals risk irrelevance in European peace talks

This week, diplomats from Kyiv, Moscow, and Washington assemble in Abu Dhabi for trilateral peace talks mediated by the United States. Ahead of negotiations scheduled for Tuesday, US President Donald Trump suggested a "somewhat different form" of Ukraine, raising anxiety in Kyiv over how a post-war settlement might look.

At the same time, nationalist political forces within Europe continue to push proposals to dismantle joint foreign policy frameworks in favour of strictly national action. Sceptics rightly argue that defence and foreign policy touch core national sovereignty, where elected governments must answer directly to their own citizens.

Yet 27 separate capitals acting individually cannot match the diplomatic weight of Washington or Moscow. European nations are already demonstrating the practical necessity of cooperation on the ground: a coalition of willing states is launching its first joint military exercise to rehearse defending post-war Ukraine.

Practical security commitments mean little if European leaders leave the diplomatic table to others. Europe can shape the security architecture on its own doorstep only when member states back their shared interests with a coherent, collective voice.