Ukraine-Krieg: USA: Putin will Europäer an den Verhandlungstisch lassen

American Vice President Jared Kushner and his colleague Steve Witkoff met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday. Following their meeting, Kushner and Witkoff attended a European summit in Dublin, where they discussed peace talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and security advisers from Germany, Italy, France, Ireland, and Poland.

Kushner expressed optimism about recent progress, stating that they have made significant strides in understanding each side's concerns, identifying potential solutions, and outlining a path forward. He and Witkoff had previously met with representatives from Moscow and Kyiv in Abu Dhabi, the first direct talks between the warring parties under US mediation in over eight months.

The European partners were only allowed to attend the sidelines, as they had not been invited to the discussions with the Russian delegation. The developments could potentially fuel the debate over a potential European negotiator for the Ukraine conflict, although the next-level talks are expected to remain off the top table. At a meeting of about 40 European heads of state and government in Dublin, no consensus emerged on the question of a European negotiator.

EU Council President António Costa made it clear that further work should be done in different formats for now. Germany, France, and the United Kingdom could take the lead, supported by EU and NATO representatives, for contacts with the US negotiators Kushner and Witkoff. Additional actors would come depending on whether it's about security, financial, or economic issues.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz emphasized during the European Political Community (EPC) summit that he does not see a need to fixate on a single spokesperson at this point. What matters is that Putin is willing to engage in talks. The focus should be on his readiness to come to the table and demonstrate a willingness to discuss.

Earlier, Kushner's statements sparked a new debate about the voice of Europe in the negotiations. He argued that Europe could benefit from identifying a person to speak on its behalf, which would be a greater success than persuading the Russians to include someone. This highlights the ongoing discussions within Europe about the lack of a clear negotiating representative for the bloc, which has led to situations like when Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norway's Government Chief Jonas Gahr Støre communicated independently with Putin.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed her frustration, demanding a binding decision on who represents the EU in talks on ending the Ukraine war. Meloni showed openness to the idea that EU Council President Costa could represent Europe in discussions between Ukraine and Russia. However, the weighty non-EU members such as the United Kingdom might not want to be represented by the president of the European Council.

Germany and France have also shown no willingness to engage in a discussion that could lead to them losing direct involvement in the negotiation process. Irish European Affairs Minister Thomas Byrne acknowledged the differences, stating that the EU countries are not the United States of Europe. The EU heads of state and government want to continue discussing current issues related to Ukraine, including financing further support for the country, in an informal meeting following the EPC summit.

The financing discussion also pertains to the ongoing support for Ukraine since the Russian aggression began in 2022.