Europe should be more actively involved in peace talks on Ukraine, Pavel says
Europe needs to develop a common position on ending the war in Ukraine and on the future security architecture.
Czech President Petr Pavel said this during a panel discussion at the Berlin Global Dialogue conference in Berlin on Thursday, Censor.NET reports, citing Ukrinform.
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"I personally believe that our American allies do not necessarily represent European interests best. That is why I firmly believe Europe should be more actively involved in the negotiations, have a clear idea of what their outcome should be and what the limits of the negotiations are, and propose alternatives that would make negotiations possible," the Czech president said.
He noted that Europe needs to develop a common position on ending the war and on the future security architecture to become a full participant in the diplomatic process.
"At present, these are talks between just three parties — the United States, Russia and Ukraine — with Europe unrepresented. I consider that a gap," Pavel added.
He said European countries still lack a sufficiently coordinated vision of the continent’s future security arrangements: "We have no clear, unified European position. There are certain positions within the EU, but the EU does not represent all of Europe."
Pavel believes that without a strong common position, neither Russia nor the United States will regard European countries as full partners in the negotiations.
Diplomatic contacts with Moscow
The Czech president stressed that diplomatic contacts with Moscow are necessary but should be based on specific conditions and results. He also pointed out that Moscow currently shows no willingness to reach a genuine peace settlement.
"They have so far shown no willingness to engage in peace talks, with one exception: Ukraine’s capitulation and President Zelenskyy’s departure from office. That is impossible for Ukraine. It is impossible for us as a matter of principle," he said.
Pavel proposed considering future negotiations in the context of both ending the war in Ukraine and the broader postwar European security architecture.
