French president Emmanuel Macron said European leaders and Ukraine should be prepared to hold direct discussions with Russian president Vladimir Putin if U.S.-led peace efforts to end the war prove unsuccessful.
Speaking at an early-morning press conference following Thursday’s European Council summit, Macron stated that if current U.S.-driven talks do not succeed, Europeans would need to
re-engage in a full-fledged dialogue with Russia, in full transparency with Ukraine, [possibly] in the coming weeks.
Macron noted that the existing format of negotiations is complicated. “We must find the right framework to talk properly,” he said, adding that relying solely on negotiators who later negotiate with Moscow is “not ideal.”
Efforts to reach a peace deal have accelerated under U.S. president Donald Trump, with Washington taking a central role in recent diplomatic initiatives. The European Union is largely absent from the process.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed on December 18th, that a Ukrainian delegation would travel to the United States on Friday and Saturday for discussions with U.S. officials. He said European representatives could also take part in the meetings.
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