European leaders are fighting for a seat at the peace talks in Abu Dhabi as the Russian mission tells them to wait in the hotel lobby.

A European delegation led by Bjoern Seibert, chief of cabinet for the European Commission, arrived in the United Arab Emirates this week with the intention of being active participants alongside the United States and Ukraine. Despite support for their inclusion by their allies, Russia’s diplomatic corps has blocked their participation from the main set of discussions.

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