Germany assured Baltics their interests reached US negotiators

Germany has assured the Baltic states that their interests were conveyed to US representatives at talks on ending the war in Ukraine in Abu Dhabi, Lithuanian presidential foreign policy adviser Asta Skaisgirytė said, according to LRT.

“We received information late yesterday from German representatives, who assured us that they had communicated the Baltic interests very clearly to the Americans,” Skaisgirytė told LRT Radio on Wednesday. She called it a good sign.

Although Russia does not want European representatives at the negotiating table at this stage, European countries are coordinating their positions with Washington, she said. Their positions are now coordinated rather than different, Skaisgirytė added.

The first day of US-mediated talks between Ukraine and Russia ended in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, with meetings expected to continue on Wednesday. Washington raised the possibility of creating a new European security system, as European countries worry that US President Donald Trump could seek an agreement with Moscow on the continent’s security future.

Skaisgirytė said Russia was seeking a return to demands it made to NATO in 2021 to fundamentally change Europe’s security architecture. The alliance’s position had not changed, she said: Russia was told no in 2021, and the answer remained no in 2026.

She welcomed the resumption of talks but said it was too early to discuss possible agreements or concessions to Russia. In the second half of November, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is expected to convene a meeting of the coalition of the willing in Berlin. Leaders are due to discuss the Abu Dhabi talks and further support for Ukraine.

Skaisgirytė said pressure on Moscow, including sanctions and international isolation, must be maintained during negotiations. Russia would remain responsible for its aggression and war crimes even if a peace agreement were reached, she said.