EU leaders insist Ukraine must be included in any peace talks

EU leaders have firmly stated that Ukraine must be included in any peace talks with Russia, rejecting the Kremlin's proposal to discuss Europe's security framework separately. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz emphasized that there will be no discussions about Ukraine without Ukraine's participation, and no talks about Europe without Europe, adding that there is no need to discuss Europe's security structure as it already exists.

However, the article does not clarify which European entities would represent Europe in future talks. Russian officials have called for a comprehensive agreement on Europe's security framework before addressing the details of ending the war, a demand that has been previously rejected by NATO. Meanwhile, US envoy Jared Kushner has initiated discussions with European partners on the continent's security structure during a visit to Moscow.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas warned that Russian calls to discuss Europe's security framework could distract from the urgent need for a ceasefire, describing such discussions as a trap.

Brief written by urgent.news from Ajel English's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.