The United States wants Europe to take part in upcoming peace negotiations with Russia and Ukraine. According to American negotiators, Europe will have a seat at the table, but Russia has not yet confirmed it agrees to this participation.
American envoys Witkoff and Kushner met with Russian President Putin for two hours on Thursday in Moscow. They then traveled to Dublin, where they updated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on their discussions. The next round of negotiations is expected next week in Abu Dhabi.
Permanent Seat
Zelensky insists that Europe be given a permanent place in the peace process. According to him, agreements about Ukraine's future should not be made without European involvement. He continues to oppose ceding Ukrainian territory to Russia.
However, at the European summit in Dublin, the heads of government remain divided over who should negotiate on behalf of Europe. The EU has not yet appointed a joint representative. There is also uncertainty about that representative’s mandate and about the involvement of European countries that are not EU members.
Kallas and Costa
EU foreign affairs representative Kaja Kallas and European Council President António Costa consider themselves the designated candidates. They refer to existing agreements regarding their representation of Europe in international security matters. Estonia supports their candidacy, while Luxembourg mainly promotes Costa.
Three or Five
An alternative is a delegation from the major European powers. Germany, France, and the United Kingdom would negotiate jointly, possibly supplemented by Italy and Poland. This would also directly represent the United Kingdom, which is no longer an EU member but still plays an important military role.
The scope of the negotiations now extends beyond ending the Russian war against Ukraine. Washington and Moscow also want to discuss the future security situation between Russia and the rest of Europe. Topics include NATO, military presence, and international security guarantees.
Guarantees
Putin wants restrictions on further NATO expansion and opposes the presence of European troops in Ukraine after a peace agreement. He has warned that such troops will be regarded by Russia as military targets.
European governments fear that Washington and Moscow will make agreements directly affecting their own defense policies. They therefore demand control over any arrangement determining the continent’s future security. A key component is credible security guarantees for Ukraine to prevent Russia from attacking it again after a ceasefire.
