Europe is ready to lead talks with Putin on ending war, - Politico
European leaders are ready to take the lead in negotiations aimed at ending Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine.
This is reported by Politico, citing a spokesperson for German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, according to Censor.NET.
Peace talks
"What is new, in my view, is that this process is now gaining momentum in Europe. Another new development is that we are continuing the negotiation process, which has largely been led by the United States. We are doing this in close coordination with the U.S.," said Merz spokesperson Stefan Cornelius after a meeting of the leaders of Ukraine, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom in London.
Politico notes that Europe’s increased activity comes as Washington focuses more and more on bringing the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran to an end.
Coordination of actions at summits
According to him, European leaders will further discuss their approach to potential peace talks at the G7 meeting in Evian and during the European Council summit in Brussels next week.
"We need as much support as possible from all our European partners in order to make real progress toward peace," he emphasized.
At the same time, Cornelius stated that "it may take several weeks or even months" for Putin to come to the negotiating table, and that "only a strong Ukraine and pressure on Russia will convince Putin to back down."
He added that Europe must be prepared for this moment.
"We also need to build a willingness to engage in dialogue and agree on the conditions under which such negotiations can take place at all. All of this is part of the preparation. We are in a phase of reorientation," said a spokesperson for Merz.
Talks in London
- As a reminder, on June 7, the leaders of the United Kingdom, France, and Germany met in London with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
- They identified five key conditions for peace in Ukraine.
