Europe wants a seat at the table with Russia. It can't agree on who gets it

Résumé détaillé

"When it comes to European security, then the treaties are very concrete. It is (Council President) Antonio Costa, and it is the High Representative and Vice President (Kaja Kallas) who is representing Europe in security matters," Kallas said. French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, however, stopped short of endorsing the Costa-Kallas ticket.

As U.S. special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Russia on Nov. 12 to discuss ending the war, European leaders gathered in Dublin still struggling to agree on who should represent them in the peace talks.

President Volodymyr Zelensky, attending the European Political Community summit in Dublin, insisted that Europe must have a direct role in negotiations over the future of Ukraine and the continent's security architecture.

"It's very good that Europeans are now part of these talks," Zelensky said, referring to European leaders who had been briefed during two days of U.S.-brokered talks between Ukrainian and Russian delegations in Abu Dhabi. The discussions ended without a breakthrough on a broader ceasefire or peace agreement.

"When the Americans and the Russians talk about this, it's not just about security guarantees for Ukraine," Zelensky said on Nov. 12. "It's more about some kind of new security framework between Europe and Russia."

"We need to make sure that Europe becomes a regular part of these negotiations," he added.

But while European leaders agree that the continent's security interests must be represented, they remain divided over who should take the lead.

The European Union, comprising 27 member states, has so far failed to agree on a single representative to speak on its behalf in the negotiations, exposing divisions between those who favor EU institutions and those who want major European powers to lead the diplomatic effort.

European representatives, including national security advisers from France, Germany, the U.K. and Italy, as well as NATO and EU officials, attended the Abu Dhabi discussions, holding separate meetings with U.S. and Ukrainian representatives.

Moscow, however, has shown little interest in involving Europeans directly. Russia's chief negotiator, Vladimir Medinsky, said his delegation had no contact with European officials during the talks.

Début de l'article, extrait de The Kyiv Independent. Pour lire la suite, ouvrez l'article chez le média.