Volodimir Zelenski will meet next Sunday in London with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz; French President Emmanuel Macron; and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, with the aim of advancing towards peace talks with Russia. A momentous meeting that has been confirmed by the Élysée, and which will take place after the Ukrainian leader proposed meeting with Vladimir Putin.
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Macron himself made it clear this morning that his desire is “to look to the future and say how to reorganize a dialogue to build a ceasefire and peace“. “I believe this is the moment, given the evolution of the situation,” he added from Montenegro before participating in the EU-Balkans summit.
The French president, in fact, has gone so far as to point out what the conditions for peace should be, and the possibility of ceding Donbas to Russia “is an offer that should no longer exist today, given the reality on the ground, and that must be affirmed by all”. And sources from the Government of France have reinforced the message, pointing out that Sunday’s meeting “will allow them to continue their close coordination around their common agenda of continued support for Ukraine and increased pressure on the Russian war effort, while Russia, in a situation of military, economic, and strategic failure, persists unsuccessfully on the front in a devastating war”.
From Germany, a spokesperson for Merz’s Executive also “welcomed with satisfaction Zelenski’s letter, which expresses President Zelenski’s willingness to negotiate, with a meeting with President Putin and a ceasefire”. “We also share President Zelenski’s view that representatives from Europe and the United States should also participate in talks with Russia,” the German Executive stressed, according to Efe.
All these statements and movements only reinforce what has been pointed out with increasing intensity in Brussels in recent weeks: that it is time to try to end the war in Ukraine. In fact, in the community capital it was even suggested that Angela Merkel or Mario Draghi could be the EU’s envoys to these talks. The former German president has already stated that she does not want to play that role, but in any case, it is something that is present and that the Commissioner for Defence himself, Andrius Kubilius, acknowledged last week in an interview with EL MUNDO.
“This shows that no one wants peace more than the people of Ukraine and the president of Ukraine. And he has our full support,” stressed the President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, when asked about Zelenski’s offer.
But, at the same time, the EU continues to view Russia with great distrust. Very great distrust. Among other things, because last week a Russian drone fell on Romanian territory, causing two injuries. This is the first time this has happened, the first time EU civilians have suffered physical consequences. And, of course, because this very Friday another drone, in this case Ukrainian, also fell in a Romanian Black Sea port as a result of Russia’s electronic warfare, according to Romanian President Nicusor Dan.
“The drone explosion in the port of Constanta shows that Russia’s war is increasingly spilling over into EU territory,” warned the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs, Kaja Kallas, on her social media.
“The ultimate responsibility for what happened lies entirely with Russia. As President Zelenski told Putin in an open letter yesterday: Moscow can stop this war any day. Next week, EU Defence Ministers will discuss how to further intensify our support for Ukraine and increase the EU’s own defensive readiness,” added the head of European diplomacy, who is one of the most critical voices against Putin. She does not trust him at all, and just a few days ago warned that it is a “trap” to discuss with Russia who should or should not be the EU mediator.
Positions are by no means aligned. But it does seem that the desire to take a significant step forward towards peace is gaining ground. Although for this to happen, Putin must also want it, and many believe it will not.
This very Friday, the Kremlin occupant declared that it makes no sense to meet with his Ukrainian counterpart before reaching a peace agreement, thus rejecting the proposal for a face-to-face meeting. “I see no point in meeting. It would only make sense for the Ukrainian side to stop the advance of our armed forces. That’s all. And we need agreements,” Putin assured delegates at Russia’s main economic forum in St. Petersburg, Afp reports. He also called Zelenski’s chosen epistolary style “rude”. “Let the experts work, let them develop some solutions and then we can meet,” he added, while ordering his army to continue advancing in the invasion of the neighboring country.