Why Ukraine wants Europe's participation in negotiations with Russia: Political scientist's opinion
Photo: Head of EU diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, and President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy (president.gov.ua)
Ukraine wants Europe to participate in the negotiations with Russia for several reasons. One of them is likely to be an opportunity to strengthen Ukraine's position, states Volodymyr Fesenko, head of the Penta Center for Applied Political Studies, in a commentary to RBC-Ukraine.
"With all due respect to Trump and his efforts, he may make concessions that would not be entirely acceptable to us. There is no concrete information yet, but I think the Ukrainian negotiators are not confident in the principled stance of his position. Therefore, Ukraine needs to strengthen its position, and Europe is the best partner for us," Fesenko noted.
Another reason, in his opinion, could be that European countries might take on the role of peacekeepers and security guarantors in Ukraine. However, Russia still opposes the participation of the Ukrainian government in negotiations under the pretext of "illegitimacy."
The political scientist also pointed out that Europe has yet to decide who will represent it in the negotiations.
"The most likely scenario is that it should be the European Union. For example, in the person of the chief diplomat, Kaja Kallas. However, the Poles, who currently hold the EU presidency, are also contenders, and there are talks about a contact group that could include not only EU countries but also the United Kingdom. The idea exists, it aligns with our interests, but unfortunately, there are also obstacles in its way," Fesenko added.
Zelenskyy is unsure about Europe's participation in negotiations
Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that it is still unclear whether Europe will participate in negotiations to end the war with Russia.
At the same time, he emphasized that Europe deserves to be more than just a passive observer during negotiations with Russia.
