As Ukraine talks open, Europe watches Abu Dhabi — and Le Pen targets EU diplomacy
All eyes are once again on Ukraine this week, as a fresh round of diplomatic talks puts Europe's future in the balance. Trilateral talks among the United States, Kyiv and Moscow are taking place in Abu Dhabi.
The stakes are high, as President Donald Trump has promised a "big, beautiful deal" that "might involve all of Europe", leaving capitals across the continent on edge.
On Politico's Brussels Playbook podcast, Zoya Sheftalovich and Nick Vinocur discussed the potential outcomes of the talks.
Meanwhile, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has a new adversary: French far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen. If she takes power in elections next year, Le Pen wants to dismantle — or at least drastically scale back — the EU's diplomatic arm, the European External Action Service.
The question now is what that could mean for Brussels' influence on the world stage.
Finally, European leaders are gearing up for their first joint meeting on artificial intelligence, but administrative delays threaten to derail their ambitions before they get off the ground.
