Putin says Europe’s role in Ukraine peace talks is inevitable, but trust with US comes first
MOSCOW – President Vladimir Putin said on Monday that Europe’s participation in Ukraine peace talks will be needed eventually but Moscow first wants to build trust with Washington, while suggesting that a deal to end the conflict may still be far off.
Putin told Russian state television that Trump was approaching the Russia-Ukraine conflict rationally and not emotionally, but gave the impression it might not end as soon as Trump would like.
Both his telephone conversation with Trump and recent talks between the United States and Russia in Riyadh touched on the issue of resolution of the conflict in Ukraine, Putin added.
“But it was not discussed in detail,” he said in an interview. “We only agreed that we would move toward this. And in this case, of course, we are not refusing the participation of European countries.”
Ukraine and Kyiv’s European allies both objected to not having been invited to the initial round of talks on Ukraine, held last week in Saudi Arabia by the United States and Russia.
Putin said Europe had “nothing with” the talks in Riyadh, as they were focused on establishing trust between Moscow and Washington, which he said was key.
“In order to resolve complex and rather acute issues, such as related to Ukraine, both Russia and the United States must take the first step,” Putin said.
“What does it consist of? This first step should be devoted to increasing the level of trust between the two states,” he added.
“But what do the Europeans have to do with it?”
The next few rounds of talks and high-level contacts will be devoted to building that trust, he said, but once the talks turn to reaching a settlement to the conflict, the presence of European partners will be logical.
“Their participation in the negotiating process is needed. We never rejected that, we held constant discussions with them.”
Separately, the United Nations Security Council on Monday adopted a U.S.-drafted resolution that takes a neutral position on the Russia-Ukraine conflict as President Trump seeks to broker an end to the war.
The U.S. failed earlier to convince the General Assembly to pass the same three-paragraph resolution adopted by the Security Council.
The resolution mourns the loss of life in the “Russia-Ukraine conflict”, reiterating the U.N.’s purpose to maintain international peace and security and peacefully settle disputes, and urges a swift end to the conflict and a lasting peace.
Security Council resolutions are considered binding, while General Assembly resolutions are not, yet they still carry political weight.
The Security Council adopted the U.S. resolution with 10 votes in favor, while France, Britain, Denmark, Greece, and Slovenia abstained. Meanwhile, Russia voted in favor after failing to amend it.
Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia acknowledged “constructive changes” in the U.S. position on the conflict, saying the resolution was “not an ideal one,” but “a starting point for future efforts towards peaceful settlement.”
