Europe insists that Putin end the war in Ukraine before discussing Russia's "concerns" - Bloomberg
Kyiv • UNN
European countries reject Putin's pre-war demands and insist that the war be ended before discussing security. Talks between Russia, Ukraine, and the United States will take place in Abu Dhabi.
European countries want Russia to end its war against Ukraine before discussing any concerns the Kremlin may have regarding the continent’s broader security architecture, Bloomberg reports, citing people familiar with the matter, writes UNN.
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"European officials are also insisting that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s prewar demands, which would effectively roll back NATO’s presence in Eastern Europe, remain unacceptable," the sources said.
"One of the main goals of the existing security system is to deter Russia from attacking Europe. It would make little sense to hold such discussions while Moscow continues its war against Ukraine and violates a number of existing agreements," some of the people said.
Such an approach, the publication writes, "risks further tension with the Trump administration, which insists on including proposals regarding the so-called European security architecture alongside other topics in the ongoing peace talks with Russia." Russian, Ukrainian, and U.S. officials are scheduled to meet in Abu Dhabi next week, resuming negotiations for the first time since February.
"We are fully aware of the importance of protecting European sovereignty, preserving NATO’s central role in collective defense, and ensuring that every country retains the right to make its own security decisions," White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said.
In a post on X this week, Jared Kushner, U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and envoy, wrote that the U.S. goal is to "develop practical arrangements that address the security concerns of all sides."
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"We are examining five main objectives: ongoing security consultations, reliable crisis communications, greater military transparency, reciprocal measures to reduce the risks of escalation, and a long-term framework for long-term European security and stability," Kushner said in a post following talks with European and Ukrainian officials.
The publication notes that, in addition to overlapping with NATO, Kushner’s proposal also appears to duplicate many of the objectives of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, an organization that has existed since the 1970s and includes the United States, Russia, and many European countries, whose aim is to ensure stability and peace across the continent.
One sticking point "remains the details of the security guarantees that allies will provide to Ukraine to ensure that Russia does not attack it again if a peace agreement is reached—and, if that happens, what assistance will be provided to Kyiv," sources said, according to the publication.
"Moscow is opposed to any Western military presence in Ukraine, a condition that Kyiv and its European allies consider necessary to deter Russia from attacking its neighbor in the future," the sources said.
Allies, including the United States, have discussed providing Ukraine with guarantees similar to NATO’s mutual defense clause, known as Article 5. This support would include weapons and other capabilities, although Ukraine’s own army would be its first line of defense. Russia has previously demanded limits on its size and capabilities, the publication notes.
The publication’s sources emphasized that "a ceasefire must come before any agreements on postwar security, and such arrangements would require the support of all European countries."
At the talks in Abu Dhabi, Ukraine and Russia are expected to continue working from where they left off, including discussions on how any peace agreement will be implemented and monitored, as well as potential de-escalation measures. "European officials are likely to be in the city, but they are expected to participate in the talks only if sufficient progress is made," the sources said.
"Talks on territory have largely been postponed for now, as they require high-level political decisions. Putin remains unwavering in his position regarding the entirety of Donbas in eastern Ukraine and shows no signs of changing that position," the sources said.
European officials continue to believe that the head of the Kremlin "is currently not interested in serious involvement in negotiations on ending the war in the coming months and is focused on trying to break Ukraine's morale through an intensive bombing campaign, even though his troops are making no progress on the ground and are suffering record losses."
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff "believe that it is about territory," Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski noted. "No, that's not it. It is about restoring the Russian Empire," he said.
"It seems that sometimes greater pressure is placed on the victim than on the aggressor," he said.