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A wave of discussion: how the European Union is trying to hinder the peace process in Ukraine
The Europeans are not abandoning their attempts to influence the course of negotiations on the settlement of the Ukrainian crisis in favor of Kiev. On December 15, negotiations between the American delegation and Vladimir Zelensky ended in Berlin. The Europeans have promised, together with the United States, to provide security guarantees similar to NATO's Article 5 on collective defense. By imposing their approach on the United States, EU leaders want to revise the peace plan and actually prolong the Ukrainian conflict, experts say. The European Commission may decide this week to confiscate Russian assets, in which case Russia will respond harshly and carefully, Leonid Slutsky, head of the State Duma's International Affairs committee, told Izvestia. Nevertheless, the negotiations held in Berlin leave hope that the parties will be able to find consensus on controversial issues and present the final version of the peace plan.
Negotiations in Berlin
The discussion of the peace plan by representatives of the United States, Ukraine and the EU has remained in the spotlight of the world's media over the past two days. On Sunday, December 14, negotiations between the American and Ukrainian delegations continued for five hours. The next day, Donald Trump's team (special representative Steve Witkoff and President's son-in-law Jared Kushner) continued discussing the peace plan with Vladimir Zelensky, after which the latter also met with a number of European politicians, including the leaders of the EU and NATO. Zelensky was accompanied by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
Vladimir Zelensky and Friedrich Merz
Following the talks, Steve Witkoff said the two sides had discussed the 20-point peace plan in detail and had made "significant progress." However, the media, on the contrary, pointed to serious disagreements on the issue of territories: allegedly, the Americans called on Zelensky to withdraw the Ukrainian Armed Forces from Donbass, to which he invariably refused, emphasizing that a cease-fire should take place along the current line of contact.
Recall that Moscow's position was for Kiev to withdraw its troops from the part of Donbas unoccupied by the Russian Armed Forces. In early December, Vladimir Putin reiterated once again that these territories would come under Russian control in any case — militarily or by any other means. The recent liberation of Seversk confirms the seriousness of these words. At the same time, Zelensky, apparently, advocates the continuation of the armed confrontation.
Some progress seems to have taken place on the issue of security guarantees for Ukraine. According to Merz, the Europeans and Americans are ready to provide them jointly. "President Zelensky referred to Article 5 of the NATO treaty, which means that we are talking about similar security guarantees for Ukraine," the German Chancellor said. At the same time, it remains unclear whether Kiev will refuse to join the alliance in exchange for Western bilateral guarantees.
In the evening, EU leaders also issued a statement saying that European security guarantees imply legal obligations to protect Ukraine in the future, including the deployment of troops. Kiev and the Europeans will have to discuss the issue of guarantees with Donald Trump. Previously, the United States tried to avoid excessive involvement in ensuring Ukraine's security.
— The meeting in Berlin is certainly one of the steps, not the final one, but it is already quite obvious that it is not the initial one. The parties are trying to work out a unified approach that could form the basis of the negotiation process," Denis Denisov, an expert at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, told Izvestia.
At the same time, we should not forget that after meeting with Steve Witkoff in the Kremlin on December 2, Vladimir Putin said that Russia had not agreed to several points of the peace plan, so reaching a compromise was a difficult task. Thus, according to the comments that are being made publicly today, it is unlikely that by the end of December the parties will have time to work out a single document that can become the basis for negotiations, the expert stressed.
Europe is trying to increase pressure on Russia
Of all the participants in the peace process, the European Union is the most actively trying to prevent the development of a plan that would suit Russia.
Europe is using the Ukrainian crisis to assert itself, "put sticks in the wheels," and plot against the United States and all those who want a just settlement, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.
"Under the Nazi flag, with European money, with European instructors, with European and generally Western intelligence data, pumping Ukraine with more and more modern weapons, Europe is once again fighting with our country with the hands and bodies of Ukrainians," the minister said.
European politicians continue to put pressure on Russia with illegal economic measures. A direct confirmation of this is their desire to confiscate frozen Russian assets and transfer them to Ukraine, which is contrary to international law and EU norms. "Theft is in the blood of Europeans," which is seen in the example of "frozen" Russian assets, Sergey Lavrov noted.
On the eve of the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said that Europe wants the conflict to continue and expand from the front line to the economy. He recalled that the EU summit will be held in Brussels this week. The central topic of the meeting will be the coordination of the details of the plan for financing Ukraine through frozen assets of Russia. "The stakes are clear: war or peace," he stressed.
If the EU does seize Russian money, the Russian Federation will regard it as a robbery as a result of an "interstate theft conspiracy" and will respond "harshly and carefully," Leonid Slutsky, head of the State Duma's international Affairs Committee, told Izvestia.
— The decision to expropriate Russian assets will be a rubicon crossing by Brussels and will shake both the foundations of the EU and the principle of consensus, as well as the position of the euro as the world's reserve currency. Russia, as Vladimir Putin has said more than once, will respond harshly and carefully. The Central Bank of the Russian Federation has already filed a corresponding lawsuit. There can be no excuses or references to legal norms for confiscation. If the EU leadership pushes through this decision at the December 18-19 summit, bypassing countries that are aware of all the destructive consequences of this step, it will be a shot in both legs for the European Union," he said.
Also, the European Commission announced the introduction of new anti-Russian sanctions. In particular, the foreign ministers of the EU countries approved restrictions against 17 individuals and legal entities, including ships that are classified as a "shadow fleet" in the West. The European Union will expand the sanctions list of tankers allegedly carrying Russian oil on a monthly basis, said the head of the European Diplomacy, Kaya Kallas.
Such steps indicate that Brussels does not lose hope of prolonging the Ukrainian conflict and seeks to impose on Washington a peace plan unacceptable to Russia in advance, Oleg Karpovich, vice-rector of the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Foreign Ministry, told Izvestia.
— The European Union explicitly says that they consider the Ukrainian conflict as a means of long-term deterrence of Moscow. It all depends on the willingness of the United States to put pressure on its wards and force them to compromise," he believes.
Denis Denisov is convinced that if the EU was really interested in finding a compromise in the peace process, decisions such as a new package of sanctions would not have been taken.
— By its actions, the European Union is currently not helping to ensure that there is some kind of compromise. Will the EU's position affect the position of the United States? I think it's minimal," the expert believes.
In the meantime, there remains hope that the parties will be able to reach a consensus, as a result of which everyone will finally see the final plan for a peaceful settlement, the expert concludes.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
