Great Britain disagreed with France and Italy on whether Europe should resume direct negotiations with the Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin, and the country's foreign minister Yvette Cooper warned that Moscow had shown no real interest in peace, UNN reports with reference to Politico.
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In an interview with Politico on Thursday, Cooper rejected proposals from the leaders of Paris and Rome that European allies should consider resuming diplomatic relations with Putin as part of efforts to end the war in Ukraine.
I think we need evidence that Putin really wants peace, and at the moment I still don't see it
These comments come amid fears in Brussels that the EU could be sidelined if Washington takes the lead in any future negotiations with Moscow. These fears have already prompted Brussels to take steps to strengthen the EU's influence, including plans to create a special EU envoy for Ukraine to ensure the bloc's place at the negotiating table in any future talks.
EU considers creating a negotiator position with Putin - Politico14.01.26, 16:21 • [views_3672]
Cooper argued that at present, the diplomatic center of gravity is in Ukraine and its closest supporters.
"We have seen a huge commitment to the work that Ukraine is doing together with the US and with the support of Europe to develop peace settlement plans, including security guarantees," she said. "But so far, I don't see any evidence that Putin is ready to sit down at the negotiating table or hold discussions."
According to her, in the absence of such evidence, pressure on Moscow should be increased, not decreased, through sanctions and military support.
"I think we still need to be ready, alongside this really important work, to exert increased pressure, economic pressure, and also through military support for Ukraine, this military pressure on Russia," Cooper added.