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EU warns of Russian trap over Ukraine talks and rejects role as neutral mediator

EU warns of Russian trap over Ukraine talks and rejects role as neutral mediator

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The EU is debating how to engage with Russia amid the war in Ukraine, with its top diplomat ruling out acting as a neutral mediator and discussing possible envoy roles, including a suggestion from Putin to use former German chancellor Gerhard Schröder.

Kaja Kallas
Reform Party
1. I'm the high representative of the European Union, and you can read my job description in the treaties – and of course, that is also representing Europe. But for that, we need to be united.
2. It is really the place to discuss with the foreign ministers the ‌core ‌interests, the core requests that we also have for Russia, because once we go to the table, then it should be also very clear what we are doing there.
3. That's why the substance is much more important than who.
4. Let's not walk into that trap. Negotiation is ⁠always a team effort.
5. Europe will never be a neutral mediator between Russia and Ukraine, because we are on Ukraine's side and we are defending our own core security interests.
6. It's a trap that Russia wants us to walk into, that we discuss who talks to them, and they are already picking who is suitable, who is not. Let's not walk into that trap.
Kestutis Budrys
1. But we have to discuss what we are doing to ⁠put additional pressure on Russia and also give more systems to Ukraine, for Ukraine to sustain these attacks and lead it to victory.
2. This is not the time when we are discussing who is going to have the negotiations.
Elina Valtonen
Finnish Foreign Ministry
1. Europe needs to be at the table in any case, it can't ‌be with 27 member states, and Europe ⁠is larger than the EU alone, but I am confident that together we can not only agree about a mandate, but perhaps also on some people that could take on this role.
Margus Tsahkna
Estonia 200
1. Whoever would like to go right now — this guy is not going to have a Nobel Prize, because there won't be any serious talks.
2. Of course we can find, if the time is right, who's going to represent Europe, but this is a trap now that Putin wants to bring Europe in.
Antonio Tajani
Forza Italia
1. It is not a Putin decision, it is our decision.
2. Europe will decide the name of the negotiator, not Mr Putin.
Jose Manuel Albares
Spanish Socialist Workers' Party
1. What's important more than talking about the special envoy ... is that it has to be one voice.
Maxime Prevot
Belgium Foreign Affairs Ministry
1. I think that we have ‌to discuss about the contents of the potential negotiation process, what kind of project the EU can propose at the table of negotiation. And we also have to define someone to embody also the European message.

EU warns of Russian trap over Ukraine talks and rejects role as neutral mediator

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