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Russia Sets a Condition for Europeans Joining Ukraine Talks as Merz Warns Trump Against Surprises
By Maya Wilson
Photo: Sophie Hugon / © European Union (EU reuse, attribution required)
The Kremlin said Friday that European countries must demonstrate they are ready to contribute to the Ukraine peace process before Moscow decides whether to allow them into negotiations, adding a new condition to the dispute over Europe’s place at the table as German Chancellor Friedrich Merz urged U.S. President Donald Trump not to spring surprises during expected talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin next week.
The Kremlin’s position, reported by Channel NewsAsia (CNA), came a day after U.S. envoy Jared Kushner and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said European delegates would be included in the next round of Ukraine negotiations.
The question of European participation was already central to Thursday’s meeting of European leaders in Dublin, which The Library Media covered. Leaders gathered to discuss the search for a lead European negotiator, while Zelensky welcomed the pledge by Kushner and U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff to include European representatives in the next round of talks.
Friday’s Kremlin statement introduced a qualification to that prospect. Moscow said Europe must first show its willingness to make a contribution to the peace process before a decision is taken on European participation, CNA reported. The Kremlin statement did not specify what contribution would satisfy that condition or how the decision would be made.
The statement leaves the question of a European seat at the negotiations unresolved, despite Thursday’s assurances from Kushner and Zelensky. Further details about the format of the next round, the identity of European participants or the timing of any decision had not been reported yet.
Merz cautions Trump ahead of expected Putin meeting
Merz on Friday urged Trump not to spring any surprises during expected talks on Ukraine with Putin in China next week, Reuters reported via Al-Monitor. CNA and The Straits Times also carried the remarks.
Merz’s warning comes as European governments seek a role in decisions over Ukraine’s future and the security arrangements that could follow a peace agreement. The available reporting did not provide further details about the specific surprises Merz was concerned about or identify any particular proposal he wanted Trump to avoid.
The expected meeting between Trump and Putin in China next week adds another diplomatic development to the debate over who will shape the terms of a possible settlement. The precise agenda for their talks had not been reported yet.
The warning also comes against the background of Putin’s unchanged position on territorial demands, which was part of Thursday’s diplomatic reporting. No indication of a change in that position had been reported.
European leaders reaffirm security principles
Participants at the European Political Community summit in Dublin adopted a declaration on key principles of European security, Ukraine’s state news agency Ukrinform reported.
The declaration reaffirmed that Ukraine itself must be involved in determining the path to peace. It also stated that European countries must have a say in decisions concerning European security and that Ukraine must receive credible security guarantees.
Those principles address the central questions raised by the dispute over European participation: Ukraine’s role in deciding its own future and Europe’s interest in the security arrangements affecting the continent.
The declaration provides a collective statement of the participants’ position, but the available reporting did not specify how the principles would be translated into the structure of future negotiations or what form the proposed security guarantees would take.
Nor had the available reporting identified a lead EU negotiator selected at the Dublin meeting. The search for a figure to coordinate Europe’s diplomatic role, discussed by European leaders on Thursday, remained a central part of the background to Friday’s developments.
Questions remain over the next round
The latest statements leave several elements of the diplomatic process unsettled. Kushner and Zelensky said on Thursday that European delegates would be included in the next round, but the Kremlin said Friday that Europe must demonstrate its readiness to contribute before Moscow decides on participation.
The competing positions have not yet produced an agreed negotiating format. The available reporting did not identify which European representatives might attend, what contribution Moscow expects from them or whether the Kremlin’s condition would affect the timing of the next round.
Merz’s appeal to Trump adds a further warning from a European leader ahead of the expected China meeting with Putin. Meanwhile, the Dublin declaration sets out European principles on Ukraine’s involvement, the continent’s security role and credible guarantees for Kyiv.
The next diplomatic steps, including the selection of a lead European negotiator and the arrangements for European participation, had not been confirmed in the available reporting Friday.
Maya Wilson
World Desk, The Library Media
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