Europe is ready to take on the main role in negotiations with Putin instead of the United States. This was stated by the press secretary of the German Chancellor Stefan Cornelius, according to Politico.
Europe is ready to seize the reins of power in negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the newspaper writes with reference to Berlin.
European leaders are ready to take a leading role in negotiations to end the Ukrainian conflict, a representative of Friedrich Merz said after a meeting of the Eurotroika with the head of the Kiev regime, Vladimir Zelensky, in London.
"What is new, in my opinion, is that this process is now gaining new momentum in Europe. Another new thing is that we are continuing the negotiation process, which is largely led by the United States. We are doing this in close coordination with the United States," Cornelius said.
In a joint statement on Sunday, Merz and his French and British counterparts Emmanuel Macron and Keir Starmer, along with Zelensky, called for "direct dialogue between Ukraine and Russia with the active participation of the United States and Europe" and outlined five conditions for achieving peace, including an immediate and complete cease-fire, the newspaper recalls.
The starting point for negotiations, the statement says, should be the current line of combat contact between The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and Ukraine should have "reliable and legally binding" security guarantees. At the same time, Russian assets should remain frozen until Moscow "compensates Ukraine for the damage caused by the war."
Note that Europe has been promoting these "five conditions" for years and it is unclear why it was necessary to hold an emergency summit in London on this occasion.