President Volodymyr Zelensky believes that the United Kingdom, France, and Germany could act as negotiators for Europe in negotiations with Russia.
He reported this during the CBS News program “Face the Nation”.
"We also have reliable partners from the Nordic countries. Turkey has always wanted to be a mediator, and we have had some success in returning our prisoners of war with their help," he said.
According to him, Russia began to lose the initiative on the front since December 2025, and therefore it is time to start negotiations.
He also added that the question of who should represent Europe should be decided by the EU and Ukraine.
The search for a negotiator from Russia on behalf of Europe
In January, Politico, citing sources, reported that EU members wanted to appoint a negotiator with Putin on Ukraine, because Washington could make a secret deal with Moscow without taking into account Europeʼs position. Back then, Alexander Stubb was considered a potential candidate for this role.
Later, on May 9, Putin stated that the best candidate for the role of negotiator with Russia on behalf of the European Union would be former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, who held the position from 1998 to 2005.
Soon, the head of European diplomacy Kaja Kallas stated that Schroeder had no right to represent Europeʼs interests in the negotiations because he promoted the interests of Russian state-owned companies.
Later, the list of possible negotiators was expanded to include former German Chancellor Angela Merkel and former Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi.
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