A group of Ukraine’s main European allies is working on plans with Kiev to involve Russia in negotiations to end the war, amid a perceived shift in momentum that strengthens President Volodymyr Zelensky’s position.
Officials from Europe’s three biggest economies — Germany, France and the United Kingdom — have been discussing the possibility of holding talks with both sides participating, according to people familiar with the matter. They also discussed the issue with their Ukrainian interlocutors, said the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity to report private conversations.
Spokespeople for France and the United Kingdom did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A German government spokesman declined to comment.
With US-led talks stalled and Russian forces racking up losses amid the battlefield stalemate, the three countries see an opportunity to try to bring Russian President Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table, the sources said. Increasing pressure on the Kremlin, Ukrainian forces have been having more success with drone strikes deep into Russian territory, and there are some signs of resistance to Putin’s war at the highest levels of power in Moscow.
By negotiating now, the allies would seek to avoid another winter that will likely see Russia step up attacks on civilians and energy infrastructure as Putin tries to undermine Ukrainian morale.
The sources stressed that any final decision on whether or not to move forward with attempts to talk to Russia will be up to Zelensky, and that European countries will not pressure the Ukrainian president to adopt a strategy with which he does not agree. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to speak to Germany’s Friedrich Merz and France’s Emmanuel Macron in the coming days, the sources said.
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Zelensky warned that Ukraine urgently needs more Patriot systems and other air defense capabilities as Russia continues bombing the country’s cities. Last month, he stated that Europe should seek its own role in negotiation efforts, which until now have been led mainly by the United States. The Ukrainian president has also repeatedly called on allies to increase pressure on Moscow.
Critics of the idea of engaging with Russia at this time, including some officials from the so-called E3 countries, argue that it is not yet time for talks with Moscow, as Putin has shown no signs of taking negotiations seriously and continues to support maximalist demands, including that Ukraine cede territories that are not even occupied.
According to these people, Kiev’s allies should take advantage of this moment to provide Zelensky with the weapons he needs and further intensify pressure on the Kremlin by tightening and expanding sanctions.
The same sources added that the E3 should work with the United States to bring Russia to the table, as the problem is in Moscow, not Kiev. European countries should not be the side asking Putin to talk; it should be the other way around, given Russia’s growing economic difficulties and staggering monthly casualties, some of the sources said.
A Bloomberg reported earlier this month that senior officials at Russia’s Finance Ministry and central bank have warned Putin that war spending in Ukraine is following a financially unsustainable trajectory — the most serious sign of internal division in Moscow since the start of the full-scale invasion. So far, however, the warnings have had little influence on the Russian president, who has tasked authorities with shielding defense spending and seeking cuts in other areas.
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