Russian invasion Negotiations

Russia says no to EU at the negotiating table

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismisses the idea of ​​the EU having a seat at the negotiating table in peace talks in Ukraine, reports the exiled Russian Moscow Times.

“It is obvious that the Europeans neither want nor can become mediators. Moreover, they are now in practice direct participants in the war on Kyiv’s side,” Peskov told a group of reporters.

European Council President António Costa said last week that he believed there was a possibility for the EU to participate in the negotiations and that the union had the support of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to do so.

“Yes, there is a possibility to negotiate with Putin. But so far, no one has seen any signs from Russia that they actually want to participate in serious negotiations,” Costa said at a meeting in Florence.

According to the Moscow Times, Vladimir Putin then replied that he would prefer former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder or “someone who has not spoken ill of Russia”.

Angela Merkel is singled out as a possible mediator in Ukraine

In the debate, Germany’s long-time Chancellor Angela Merkel is being highlighted as a possible mediator between Russia and Ukraine, writes Der Spiegel.

After her tenure as Chancellor, many considered Merkel to have pursued a foreign and energy policy that was too pro-Moscow, but this could be to her advantage in this context. Other advantages are that she has left politics, that she knows both Putin and Zelensky personally and that she speaks Russian.

“No inquiries have been made at all to the former Chancellor,” writes Merkel’s staff in a statement.

In the article, Der Spiegel also speculates about other mediators, including Mario Draghi, Italy’s former Prime Minister who was also the head of the European Central Bank. Or maybe Finnish President Alexander Stubb? He is clearly on Ukraine's side, but one advantage is that he has long advocated direct talks between the parties and is close to Donald Trump.