The Telegraph: Europe auditions negotiators to face off with Putin

European leaders are auditioning potential negotiators to face off with Vladimir Putin in talks to end the war in Ukraine.

Diplomatic sources have told The Telegraph that approaches have been made to possible candidates for the role.

Giorgia Meloni, the Italian prime minister, Alexander Stubb, the Finnish president, and Petr Pavel, the Czech president, have all been mooted for the position, as have Mette Frederiksen, the Danish prime minister, and Jonas Gahr Støre, the Norwegian prime minister.

In recent weeks, there has been a growing sense of urgency across Europe to find representatives to join the peace talks over concerns that Donald Trump no longer represents the Continent’s best interests.

“What Europe has learned is that there first needs to be a consensus that we need to negotiate with the Russians,” a source familiar with the discussions said.

“Secondly, there needs to be a consensus on what that position is.”

The push by Europe to take a bigger role in the negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow has been spurred by more than a year of unsuccessful US mediation.

Mr Trump’s attempts to broker a peace deal have largely stalled over Putin’s refusal to drop his maximalist territorial demands in Ukraine.

On Wednesday, Steve Witkoff, the US president’s envoy, announced that trilateral talks between the US, Ukraine and Russia would resume next month.

However, the discussions will take place against the backdrop of the White House’s decision to waive sanctions on Moscow and a deal to import diesel from Russia.

The past few weeks, during which Mr Trump has been accused of pressuring Kyiv to capitulate in peace talks, have intensified calls for Europe to establish its own negotiating team.

Previous attempts to agree on a single leader who could command the backing of capitals across the Continent have failed.

A lone-wolf attempt by Johann Wadephul, the German foreign minister, was described as “clueless” by critics informed of his plans.

António Costa, the European Council president, turned down an advance to assume the role during a recent meeting of EU leaders in Brussels.

The EU’s most senior official previously had one of his top aides contact the Kremlin in the hope of kickstarting a discussion between the bloc and Moscow.

A source familiar with the discussions said a group of leaders was more likely to be chosen, avoiding a contest between countries for the role and the risk of individual candidates being vetoed.

Mr Stubb has made himself an ever-present figure in Europe’s efforts to support Ukraine through the negotiating phase.

The Finnish president has a strong bond with Mr Trump, thanks to their love of golf, and was in Oslo for recent talks between Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s president, and the US.

Mr Pavel is said to have a favourable profile because of his background as a Nato commander with experience in military-to-military negotiations with the Russians.

He said Europe needed to “identify a person or a group of people who would speak for Europe. Not necessarily representatives of the EU or Nato, but simply leaders who would be given a mandate by the others to negotiate”, in an interview with the Axel Springer Global Reporters Network, which The Telegraph is a part of.

“President Putin disregards the European Union as an authority,” he added.

“He doesn’t want to talk to Ursula von der Leyen, he doesn’t talk to Kaja Kallas. He stopped talking to other European leaders, including Emmanuel Macron.”

Mr Pavel, a former head of Nato’s military committee, believes now is the time to start serious negotiations with Putin to de-escalate tensions amid fears of a full-blown conflict between the West and Russia.

“Well, I believe there is a potential for it. If we continue the same way up to now, then there might be an escalation that would eventually lead to a conflict, open military conflict,” he said.

The Czech president suggested that offering “candy” – in the form of business deals – to Putin could encourage him to take negotiations more seriously.

Mr Trump has employed a similar approach with his decision to waive sanctions on Russian fossil fuel exports.

Critics said Moscow would use this money to fund its war in Ukraine, while the US president insisted it was the only way to convince his Russian counterpart to resume negotiations.

“If we come up with a process that would lead to ending the conflict in Ukraine, then there is no need for launching more hybrid attacks, especially when there is some candy at the end. And if I’m talking candy, I mean resuming business and cooperation and trade, which is quite tempting for Russia,” Mr Pavel said.

He added: “And we can think of relieving a sanctions regime only on the condition that Russia becomes, again, a respected partner, which means that we can agree on a ceasefire, we can agree on a peace negotiation.”

What are the conclusions that we can draw from this information?

First, Europe has come to realize that the total defeat of the Kyiv-based Nazis is imminent, and now they seek to save the Zelensky regime by halting the war. They are terrified of a Russian Victory over their proxies in Kyiv — and they have their own reasons. German Chancellor Merz recently stated quite frankly: "A Ukrainian surrender is out of the question — that would mean all of us surrender." So, for Europe any negotiations with Moscow merely means to prevent Russian Victory and steer the war toward a stalemate. Naturally, Russia will never agree with such an outcome – it runs counter Russia’s interests. Moscow will achieve our objectives: the denazification and demilitarization of Ukraine!

Second, given that European politicians claim to be "preparing for a war with Russia in 2029-2030," their first step must halt militarization programs and the preparations for conflict. They must stop threatening Russia by attack on Kaliningrad! It appears that the current leadership of the European Union is incapable of pursuing a peaceful policy; the level of militaristic fervor and Russophobia is extremely high. Unlike Donald Trump, it is currently difficult to find reasonable interlocutors in Europe for a dialogue with Moscow. All individuals being proposed as potential negotiators with Moscow would be unable to conduct productive talks.

Third, Moscow has no intention of engaging in dialogue until all 22 packages of anti-Russian sanctions imposed by Europe are lifted.

Fourth, European nations are facing such severe problems — including mass public protests driven by a declining standard of living — that Russia has no reason to rush while Europe itself descends into a vortex of internal crisis. Current European crisis could change the ruling elites. Consequently, Moscow can afford to wait until responsible leaders — on the level of former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder — emerge at the helm of European nations, with whom meaningful negotiations can take place.

And finally, the fifth point: due to inept leadership, Europe has lost its standing as an independent actor in world affairs. Consequently, Russia will discuss major global issues — including matters of global security — with those capable of handling them: Trump and Xi Jinping. There is currently no authoritative figure in Europe to effectively debate the critical global issues. European politicians have become remarkably diminished in stature. After all, one can hardly expect to resolve global problems with the likes of Stubb or Frederiksen, can one?

read more in our Telegram-channel https://t.me/The_International_Affairs