Russian Economic Growth Slows to 1% as Moscow Links Ukraine Settlement to European Security
Key Facts
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on November 15 linked a settlement to the conflict in Ukraine with building a new security architecture in Europe, saying the two tracks cannot be separated. The position places European security arrangements within any effort to address the war, as Europe moves to take part in the talks. Peskov said on November 13 that Moscow would decide whether to broaden the negotiations after understanding Europeans’ intentions and readiness to contribute to the peace process. A statement attributed to him that Russia would use force if prospects for an agreement with Europe disappeared could not be verified. Nor could the claim that he attributed delays in a settlement to divisions within the European Union be verified.
Peskov said a settlement to the conflict and the security architecture were "two components, and neither can exist without the other." In his formulation, discussing an end to the war cannot be separated from a broader vision for security on the continent. The statement, as reported by the source, provided no details on the architecture’s form or how it would be built. The position came as European leaders were considering how to represent Europe in the talks, weighing whether to send a single representative or a team. Peskov said Europeans should name a representative, while The Associated Press reported that the dispute within Europe concerned the format of representation.
European Council President Antonio Costa announced that Europe would be represented in the talks by officials from EU institutions and five countries: Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Poland. The European Union has 27 member states, according to Associated Press coverage published on November 13, while the announced team comprises five countries from the coalition of the willing alongside officials from EU institutions. European leaders agreed that Europe should participate, but initially disagreed on whether it should be represented by one person or a team. The announced arrangement allows EU institutions and a group of countries to participate in a single format. Available information gave no details on when the next talks would take place or the level of officials participating.
The European efforts follow a meeting of Russian, Ukrainian and U.S. officials in Abu Dhabi during the week before Reuters’ report published on November 13, the first meeting of its kind in nine months. The talks made no major breakthrough, according to The Associated Press. The agency reported that Washington sought to broaden the negotiations to include European officials, while Moscow insisted that the Abu Dhabi talks be held in a trilateral format involving Russia, Ukraine and the United States. A U.S. official said the proposal was to bring Europeans into the discussion after the trilateral meeting and work on parallel tracks to address security issues. Peskov said Moscow’s decision on expanding the talks would depend on understanding whether Europeans were ready to contribute to the peace process.
On the Ukrainian track, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Washington had proposed a new European security framework as part of efforts to end the war, warning that Moscow could exploit the discussion to weaken NATO and redraw the continent’s borders. Zelenskyy reiterated that Kyiv would not cede its territory and said Ukraine was discussing with its partners a security package that could include specific guarantees from NATO and the European Union, as well as military and financial support. He said the sequence should begin with a ceasefire, followed by ending the war and then providing security guarantees to Ukraine. These positions place security guarantees and the sequencing of steps among the issues the parties are discussing alongside European participation. Available information indicated no agreement on a final format for these issues.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the peace process still required work and that Washington would continue trying to involve Europeans in talks with Russia. That reflects continuing U.S. efforts to broaden participation after the trilateral talks, amid a difference between Moscow and Washington over bringing Europeans to the table. Against that backdrop, Russia’s gross domestic product grew 1.0% year on year in the third quarter of 2026, according to a preliminary estimate by Rosstat carried by Interfax. Growth slowed from 1.3% in the second quarter, after output contracted 0.2% year on year in the first quarter. These figures do not establish a link between economic performance and diplomatic statements or geopolitical tensions.