The Ukrainian president, Volodímir Zelenskiannounced this Wednesday his arrival in Brussels to maintain “important negotiations” with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and the leaders of France, Germany, Italia and four other countries in the European Union (EU) on possible measures to reach a consensus common european position that contributes to end the war.
“Europe needs a strong, united position to guarantee a lasting peace“Zelensky wrote on his social networks. The Ukrainian president added that Europe needs ” coordinated and effective work” of their countries to achieve an end to the conflict in Ukraine.
Zelensky announced that he will meet during his visit – which coincides with the summit between the EU and the Western Balkan countries and takes place one day before a European Council is held – with the leaders of the aforementioned countries and with those of Denmark, the Netherlands, Poland and the Czech Republic, and with the main EU authorities.
Strength position
For his part, Rutte announced that this Wednesday’s summit will discuss how to “do the most” in support of kyiv to ensure that it is in a position of strength before starting negotiations with Russia on a possible ceasefire.
At a time when the European bloc awaits the arrival of Donald Trump to the White House in January, which could precipitate a cut in US aid and ceasefire negotiations, the informal meeting called by Rutte at his residence is presented as the starting point to design long term help plans to Ukraine, including the idea of a deployment of European troops to ensure a ceasefire.
In previous statements with the president of Lithuania, Gitanas Nauseda, the NATO leader has indicated that at the meeting they will discuss “everything that has to do with Ukraine at this moment and how to put an end to all this”, in reference to the aggression Russia, pointing out that any initiative must be led by kyiv from a “position of strength.”
In any case, he has avoided going into details about these plans since he believes that the allies have to focus on strengthening kyiv as much as possible before starting negotiations with the Kremlin. “We must now focus on ensuring that Ukraine reaches this position of strength,” he indicated, noting that the rest of the details regarding the talks should be up to those sitting at the negotiating table.
Thus, the former Dutch prime minister has warned that if the European allies begin to debate all the details and principles of the negotiations, they will make it easier for Moscow. “If we now begin to discuss among ourselves What a peace agreement could be like, we make it very easy for the Russians, because they sit there in their reclining chairs, listening to our discussions, smoking a good cigar while they watch these images on television,” he said. “I don’t think that be useful,” he stressed.
Reduced format, without Sánchez
Although NATO has not formally confirmed the list of participants, the German chancellor is expected at the residence of the transatlantic leader, Olaf Scholz; the italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni; the polish president, Andrzej Duda; and the Danish Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksenrepresenting the Nordic and Baltic countries. Representatives from France and the United Kingdom will also attend, as well as the president of the European Council, Antonio Costaand the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyenas Europa Press has learned.
The president of the Spanish Government will not be at the meeting, Pedro Sanchezas it is a format in which Spain does not usually participate, government sources explain, although the framework of the meeting is flexible and apart from the European countries of the G7 Denmark and Poland, two of kyiv’s closest military partners, have joined.
Various sources familiar with the meeting point out that the dinner with Zelensky will serve as a starting point to reflect on long-term aid to Ukraine and the future decisions that European allies will have to make in the Ukrainian scenario, a changing context in which There may be twists and turns with Trump’s return to the White House.
In any case, allied sources lower expectations about possible announcements after the meeting and frame the meeting organized by the political head of NATO in the preparation of the European partners before the entry of the new US administration, which has promised to end the conflict. “No fireworks expected“, they explain. Other European sources indicated in recent days that the debate on the deployment of European troops is “inevitable” once Trump returns to the Oval Office, while indicating that peacekeeping troops are a common element in crisis situations.
