Macron says Europe needs to resume dialogue with Putin
Photo: French President Emmanuel Macron (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
Europe will have to find its own way to interact directly with Russian president Vladimir Putin, rather than doing so through the US, which is actively promoting peace talks, reports Bloomberg, citing French President Emmanuel Macron.
“Either a lasting peace is reached or we find ways for Europeans to re-engage in a dialog with Russia — in transparency and association with Ukraine. It will become useful again to speak to Vladimir Putin,” the French president said.
Macron spoke after European Union leaders announced on the morning of December 19 that they had agreed to provide Ukraine with a €90 billion loan, abandoning the idea of confiscating Russia's frozen assets.
But there is another important issue: Europe is demanding a seat at the negotiating table on peace in Ukraine. The US has now taken over the peace process, but it is unclear whether Putin is ready to end the war, as Russia's imperial ambitions appear to remain unchanged.
“We, Europeans and Ukrainians, have an interest in finding the right framework to re-engage in this discussion in a proper manner. Otherwise, we will be discussing among ourselves with negotiators who will then go and discuss with the Russians on their own. That is not ideal,” Macron said in a speech.
Russia is currently preparing contacts with the US to clarify how Donald Trump's peace plan has changed after its agreement with Ukraine. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov recalled that in recent weeks, American negotiators led by Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff had been consulting on this plan.
On the evening of December 15, another round of negotiations on the peace plan ended in Berlin. The negotiations were attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, EU leaders, and US special envoy Steve Witkoff, who announced “a lot of progress” following the meetings.
