EU members are pressuring the European Council to appoint a special negotiator with Putin on Ukraine. Europeans fear that Washington could make a secret deal with Moscow without taking Europeʼs position into account.
Politico writes about this, citing sources.
France and Italy have already secured the support of the European Commission and several other countries to create the new position, diplomats said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The aim is to ensure that Europeʼs red lines, including Ukraineʼs potential NATO membership and sovereignty, remain intact in the negotiations.
However, the details of the new position remain controversial. Critics warn that the formal appointment of a negotiator could be seen as a signal to Moscow that Europe is ready to recognize the “good faith” of the negotiations, even if Russia is not ready to give up its claims to part of Ukrainian territory.
European leaders first discussed the idea of a special envoy at an EU summit last March, sources said. However, no final decision was made and the proposals were not included in a joint statement after the summit.
Kaia Kallas, the EUʼs High Representative for Foreign Affairs, is positioning herself as the only candidate to act as a negotiator with Putin in future talks on the future of Ukraine.
Politico sources say that a potential candidate for the role of negotiator is Finnish President Alexander Stubbs, a veteran center-right diplomat who is friendly with US President Donald Trump.
Brussels is debating what role the EU will play in the talks and how to ensure that the US does not sidestep European interests. The decision to appoint a negotiator would signal that the continent is committed to playing a key role in ending Russiaʼs war in Ukraine.
- On December 24, President Volodymyr Zelensky first reported a draft 20-point peace agreement between Ukraine, Russia, the United States, and Europe. It included security guarantees similar to Article 5 of the NATO Charter, the operation of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant by three countries (Ukraine, Russia, and the United States), and a free economic zone in the Donetsk region.
- On the same day, Bloomberg reported that Russia would demand changes to the latest version of the peace plan agreed upon by Ukraine and the United States. Russia believes that the agreement lacks “provisions important to Russia” and “answers to many questions”.
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