Europe rejects Putin’s push to rework regional security architecture — report

At the same time, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned allies that the United States and Russia were already discussing the issue in their bilateral contacts.

U.S. special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner with Putin in Moscow on Thursday, following talks on Ukraine in Abu Dhabi earlier in the week. During the meetings, the Russian delegation raised European security arrangements while refusing to hold talks with European officials.

European Council President António Costa said Europe did not need to create a new security system because it already had an effective architecture that Russia destroyed with its invasion of Ukraine.

Zelenskyy said post-war security guarantees received significant attention during the trilateral talks. He urged European partners to note that Washington and Moscow were discussing not only Ukraine’s security but also a possible new model for relations between Europe and Russia.

Russian authorities have repeatedly called for a review of the continent’s security architecture. Moscow has demanded guarantees that NATO will not expand, limits on military exercises near Russia’s borders, and the withdrawal of the alliance’s troops and equipment from its eastern flank. European capitals view the demands as an attempt by the Kremlin to restore its sphere of influence and limit the sovereignty of EU and NATO member states.

Putin said that Russia’s proposals for a new security architecture should be discussed before an agreement is reached on a ceasefire in Ukraine.

At the same time, three European officials told the newspaper that concern was growing in European capitals that broader discussions about the continent’s defense could become a condition for participation in talks on Ukraine.

Estonian PM Kristen Michal said Europe had fallen into a “trap” by agreeing to discuss the continent’s security architecture in exchange for a place at the negotiating table. He said Putin had sought for years to gain a say over the sovereignty of NATO countries.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Europe should be prepared to discuss a new security architecture only after Russia agrees to a peace deal.