Former Ukrainian foreign minister explains why Putin will not negotiate with Europe

“Why do I think the European initiative to replace the United States is, as they say, not worth it? First, what we have is not the European Union, but essentially Normandy Plus. Germany, France, and they brought in the Brits. But the situation has changed. Are those two countries, Germany and France, now able to secure a pan-European consensus around what they could theoretically agree on with Russia? I doubt it, with all due respect,” Kuleba said on Radio NV.

He said Nordic countries and Poland have significantly increased their political and military role during Russia’s war against Ukraine.

“So Putin will say: ‘Emmanuel, my dear, and Friedrich, you have just promised me sanctions relief. But that is a European Union decision. And will you make sure those crazy Balts or Poles, or the Norwegians and Swedes, support it?’ No one can give such a guarantee. That is why we do not have a pan-European initiative, but a kind of Normandy Plus. To make it look less discredited than it once did, they brought in the Brits. It is all clear here. France and Germany are desperately fighting to preserve their status as the two European countries that decide for all of Europe. That is all clear, but there are no guarantees for Putin,” the former foreign minister said.

Kuleba added that, for the Russian dictator, Europe is an object, not an actor.

“He despises them only slightly less than he despises us. You do not negotiate with someone you do not take seriously... You spent 20 years saying they are nobody, and now you sit down with them at the negotiating table? ... All of Russian policy is built on the image of two superpowers, the United States and Russia, deciding everything. This is the inferiority complex that drives them. For them, Europe is not an independent negotiating actor,” the former foreign minister said.

Five conditions for lasting peace and Russia’s response

On June 7, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced a meeting in London with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the E3 — Ukraine format.

The meeting resulted in a joint statement. The document says that “Europe, as Ukraine’s steadfast ally, must play an important role in any settlement.” It also outlines five conditions that the leaders believe must be in place to achieve a “just and lasting peace.”

They are:

• An immediate and full ceasefire.
• The current line of contact must be the starting point for negotiations.
• After the ceasefire takes effect, Ukraine must receive reliable and legally binding security guarantees based on commitments made in Berlin in December 2025 and in Paris in January 2026 — including the deployment of multinational forces in Ukraine.
• Russian assets will remain frozen until Russia ends the war and compensates Ukraine for the damage.
• Any agreement must protect European security interests: elements of the negotiations concerning the EU and NATO will require the consent of EU and NATO member states, respectively.

The leaders also backed Ukraine’s proposal for direct talks with Russia, with active participation by the United States and Europe.

Afterward, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, commenting on European mediation efforts, said starting them by setting out conditions was “illogical,” “wrong” and “absolutely unacceptable.”

He also claimed European countries were “far from ready” to act as mediators in settling Russia’s war against Ukraine.