Europe Today: Ukraine peace talks continue in Abu Dhabi after 'constructive' first day

Good morning, it's Wednesday, November 11th, Armistice Day. You're watching Euronews and this is Europe Today, our top stories. Ukraine and Russia have privately shown some flexibility over disputed territory that's according to U.S. media reports citing a senior American official as a new round of talks aimed at ending the war began in Abu Dhabi yesterday the U.S. official cautioned that territorial disputes could not be resolved without agreement on post-war security arrangements The negotiations opened with a meeting between Ukrainian, American and European representatives ahead of the first trilateral talks involving Kiev, Moscow and Washington since February. Train drivers in Spain went on strike yesterday to demand more investment in maintenance and safety following Spain's second fatal rail crash this year. About half of long, medium and distance services in the country were cancelled, as well as 90% of services in Madrid's commuter network. The situation will likely get worse today, as workers staged the country's first general strike in 14 years. Minimum service levels have been set for transport, schools and healthcare. Among other things, unions want higher wages and limits on rents. And Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, backed the European Union's campaign to protect children from online harassment. Speaking at the European Parliament in Brussels, Prince Harry accused social media companies of failing to make their platforms safer, leaving children exposed to online harassment and bullying, sometimes with fatal consequences. We also praise the proposed EU Kids Act, which aims to strengthen protections for children online. Welcome to the programme, I'm Stefan Gromer. Ukrainian, Russian and US negotiators are set to resume peace talks in Abu Dhabi for a second day, after Kyiv and Washington described yesterday's discussions as constructive and productive. The first round lasted around four hours, with discussions focusing on humanitarian issues, including a possible large-scale prisoner exchange and the return of Ukrainian civilians and children held by Russia. Security guarantees for Ukraine were also on the agenda. Our correspondent Toby Gregory, who is in the UAE, just sent us this update minutes ago. Here in the UAE the first thing to say is that the mood from Washington is one of cautious optimism. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the first day of talks as very productive, but warned that much work remains and a settlement is not imminent. On whether there was any sign of progress, Jared Kushner, who is leading the delegation here in the UAE alongside Steve Witkoff, said there were some good ideas on how to bridge the differences between Ukraine and Russia. Looking at the bigger picture, Kushner said that Washington wants to develop a new framework for lasting peace. But for all the positive language we're hearing, significant disagreements still remain, particularly over territory and security arrangements. So what are we watching for on this second day here in the UAE? Well, the key question is whether Washington's efforts can turn into tangible progress at the table. There are reports that Witkoff and Kushner could well travel to Moscow and Kiev, although neither of those visits have been officially confirmed, and there's certainly no itinerary that has been announced. Let's digest everything now with Sasha Vakulina, our Ukraine correspondent. Good morning, Sasha. So we've just heard about Washington's assessment of the first day of talks. What have Kiev and Moscow said about the negotiations? And are there any signs that their positions are moving closer? Well, just like Washington, Kyiv tried to put out a very positive assessment there. We've heard from the negotiators and the delegation that indeed they think that the first day went well. Well, this was also the statement coming from Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, after he had a briefing with his delegation in Abu Dhabi. He described the trilateral talks as, quote, constructive and quite substantive. Now, he also said they spoke in detail about the substance of security guarantees for Ukraine and the foundations for ensuring these guarantees function over the long term. Real tools are needed to block any recurrence of the war. The need for de-escalation steps was also touched upon. Now, there's a stark contrast with any sort of assessment coming from Moscow. Russia's foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, was not at all this sort of positive and optimistic about the negotiations. In fact, he once again rejected the idea of any form or shape of a ceasefire step. And that's, of course, what Ukraine is trying to achieve. And he accused the European partners of... Pushing for the ceasefire with a hidden agenda. Now, this is what Lavrov had to say about the EU representatives. Everything we're hearing now from Brussels and other EU capitals boils down to a demand for an immediate ceasefire. It is the same old logic. They need to buy time to somehow recoup the military losses they have sustained. Now, Russia. itself took a few years to regroup between the first invasion of Ukraine in 2014 and then the full-scale war of 2022. So, Sasha, Zelensky also referred to further consultations with his European partners, but as we know, Europe doesn't have a seat at the table. Now, what role do they play in the diplomatic process? I think what we are seeing now is Europe trying to find its way and trying to find that seat at the table, not for today, but for the negotiations in the future. Now, Kyiv insists that it wants to have European partners at the table. Washington warmed up to the idea, also saying that, yes, indeed, we heard from Mark Rubio, who indicated that the US would want European representatives to participate directly, but also eventually. Yet again, Russia is very much against it. Now, Moscow said that they do not want to have the Europeans at the table. Another assessment and another quote coming from Sergei Lavrov saying they flew to Abu Dhabi. He said, referring to the European representatives, let them sit there in the hotel. Now, that says a lot about whether or not Kremlin is actually welcoming the European representatives at the talks. I hope the hotel is quite comfortable. Sasha Vakulina, as ever, thank you very much. NATO is represented at the talks in Abu Dhabi by senior officials, including the Alliance's top military general, Alexis Grinkevich. Our NATO correspondent Shona Murray caught up with Deputy Supreme Allied Commander John Stringer at NATO headquarters. She started by asking him whether he had any optimism of a genuine breakthrough ahead. Take a listen. So, we all know. The Russian demands have been maximalist from the start. I hope, but I say hope, that they enter into negotiations in a genuine spirit of seeking resolution here, and that it's not just, frankly, a restatement of demands that, as I said, go back to 2022. So let's see how serious Russia is here. And in terms of territory, It is absolutely one for the Ukrainians. As I said, sovereign nation invaded in 2022, having had Crimea annexed in 2014. So Ukrainian interests here have to be paramount. In relation to the interceptor issue, President Zelensky said they're waiting over a month. For delivery of Patriots to Ukraine, he said that all that's required is a signature from U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. Patriots, understandably, are in high demand globally, hence my point on increasing the overall size of the industrial base. And a number of discussions have been held and are ongoing with a number of nations about how we might increase the flow of Patriot interceptors to Ukraine. But they're obviously sensitive discussions and I can't really talk about them in public. Obviously Russia's not doing well. Five years into a supposedly five-day attack on the whole of Ukraine. Partly though would you agree that Ukrainians have been able to strike into Russian territory, in particular at the diesel infrastructure, but would you agree that this needs to continue in order to stop the access that Russia has to money through its oil production and Thanks, Exportation. Same. Quite rightly, the Ukrainians are running their campaign. But you're absolutely right in the sense that what they have done against Russian oil and gas has had a demonstrable impact on the Russian economy. It is economic warfare in 2026. And it is a key element, obviously, you know, just look at it from outside, a key element in the Ukrainian campaign. So it's hurting Russia. I will leave it to Ukrainians as to, you know, how they prosecute that campaign in the future. But it does underline my point. This is hurting Putin. He thought he was going to roll in, establish a new security architecture. Yeah. Europe that started in Ukraine in early 22, and he's been sorely disabused on that one. And what Ukraine has been able to do through imagination, innovation and will is quite incredible, and we should salute him. Janine Marie at NATO, thank you very much. The Black Sea is becoming an increasingly dangerous front line in Russia's war against Ukraine. Commercial ships are being struck, seafarers are missing, and NATO's eastern flank is feeling the fallout. Now Brussels is stepping in with 70 million euros in funding. But is that enough to turn the tide? Now joined by our defense correspondent Angela Scudgens, who has doggedly followed these deadly maritime events. Good morning, Angela. Good morning, Stefan. So how does the European Union plan to step in and offer support? So it's predominantly through cash, as you rightly mentioned. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen visited Romania and Bulgaria on Monday and Tuesday where she made this announcement. The Black Sea traditionally is a key maritime corridor used for the transport of goods as well as energy. Military mobility is very important here, but now it continues to feel the spillover effects of Russia's full-scale invasion. of Ukraine. Now, Brussels will come to the aid of both of these EU member states through funding. 10 million euros will be given individually and separately to Sofia and Bucharest for search and rescue operations, while 50 million euros will be given to the development and the fast tracking ...of the building of the Black Sea Maritime Security Hub. This will be split between Constanza and Varna maritime ports in both countries and the thrust of this centre when it's operational is to track and detect seaborne threats such as cable cuts and hopefully drones. And of course the question is, will that be enough to plug an increasingly hostile security situation in that region? Yeah, so that's the bigger question, whether 70 million euros will be enough. But just to highlight the scale of the situation here, at least nine commercial vessels have been struck, damaged, capsized or sunk in the Black Sea near Romania and Bulgaria between the 5th and 28th of October. Leaders from both nations were recently in Brussels, where they met NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte to talk about support. I spoke with the Romanian President, Klaus Iohannis, about how perilous the situation is there. Let's take a listen to his response. We started air drones on our territory, started something like one year and a half ago. We are not prepared for that. We ask inside the NATO for the support of our allies. We receive some support. Also, we'll have a permanent solution after buying the capabilities that we already ordered during the SAFE program. So now at the Black Sea, we are in the same situation. When will the Black Sea be safe? Hopefully, when the war will stop. All right, Angela Skujins, thank you for your reporting. Europe is increasingly finding itself on the front line of a shadow war. From cyber attacks targeting supermarket refrigeration systems to suspicious incidents disrupting commercial aviation, a growing number of hybrid threats are exposing the vulnerabilities of critical infrastructure across the continent. Russia and other hostile actors are suspected of exploiting these weaknesses to sow disruption, fear, and mistrust. Is Europe doing enough to defend itself? For more on this, I'm now joined by Riho Terras, an Estonian member of the European Parliament from the European People's Party, where he serves on the committees for foreign affairs and security and defense. Good morning and welcome to the program. Good morning. So, why are seemingly mundane targets such as supermarkets, airports and transport networks becoming increasingly attractive to hostile actors? I would say that these targets are different. The attacks against the supermarkets are attacks against the infrastructure which actually is not critical or vital services because the critical and vital services like the airports, etc., need to be disconnected from the Internet. And we have seen the attacks against the supermarkets which, in my opinion, is just... Not enough finances from the side of the owner of the shops and not enough upgrades to the computer systems. I think that can be avoided and that is actually something which needs to be trained and regularly looked at. The other thing is the critical infrastructure and vital services and there the responsibility of the states is very important Thank you. The European Union has already decided about the Network and Information Security Act. Let me ask you this. Russia is the usual suspect when it comes to hybrid operations across Europe. But France has now accused Iran's Revolutionary Guard of orchestrating the supermarket cyber attacks. Do you believe Moscow and Tehran are coordinating their efforts to put pressure on Europe? I don't know. It is sure that they will use both sides, but whether they coordinate, I am not that sure about it. But to create a chaos before the elections in France after the riots on the streets, it just fits to the picture. And the chaos and instability and the feeling in the population that government does not do enough, that is what they are aiming for. And that is very easy to do, especially in the times where we have Internet of Things, which normally is almost not protected it properly, you can create very easily chaos without All right, Rio Terras, MEP from Estonia, thank you very much for your time this morning. The European Parliament hosted two special guests yesterday, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Harry and Meghan, as part of a campaign to protect children from online harassment. They unveiled the Lost Screen Memorial, first launched in New York last year, Which features photographs of young people whose deaths have been linked to online harms. Following the royal couple through Brussels was our correspondent Vincenzo Genovese. Good morning, Vincenzo. Morning, Stefan. So you've covered the Prince Harry's address at the European Parliament. How was it? It was powerful, it was emotional, he lashed out at social media companies for failing to protect children from online harassment and bullying which has led in some cases to suicides in Europe and elsewhere. In particular he called for a tough regulation of social media and to disallow this short-form addictive scrolling which he believes is particularly harmful for two young people. Let's take a listen to Harry. The majority of these companies, they don't let their children on social media because they know the dangers. So why would you create something that you know is going to harm someone else's child? You know, these companies have caused so much harm. There has to be accountability. Now, Francesco, you also followed him through the corridors, if I may say, and he did get quite a warm welcome, didn't he? Yes, definitely. When he was moving from one meeting to another, he walked past crowds of parliamentary assistants, officials from the parliament, trying to get a picture or a video of him. Some people even shouted his name. I would say he was a... A bit of a rock star in the parliament yesterday, and as a rock star, he didn't answer any questions from reporters, including mine. That is too bad. But one question that everybody wants to know about is... What happened to Meghan? We haven't seen her much, right? Yeah, indeed. She didn't attend any meetings with MEPs beyond the official unveiling of the lost screen memorial. She was set to deliver a speech indeed, but reportedly she pulled out because of the emotional strain of recent days after her father was arrested in the US on suspicion of possessing child sexual abuse material. That is certainly not ideal.