Putin rejected the idea of EU mediation in the talks and laid out his demands – Bloomberg
Vladimir Putin stated that he does not consider the European Union to be an acceptable mediator in potential negotiations. Instead, he outlined his own vision of the EU’s role in this process, without providing specifics, but effectively ruled out European participation as a mediator.
At a meeting with foreign journalists in St. Petersburg, Putin stated that EU countries cannot act as neutral mediators because they themselves are supplying weapons to Ukraine.
According to him, Europe’s role is to convince Kyiv to agree to compromises, not to participate in the negotiations.
“How can the European Union or individual EU countries be mediators if they are directly aiding a country with which we are in an armed conflict? Mediation requires neutrality,” he said.
Putin again mentioned former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder as a possible European representative in the negotiations.
“He is not Putin’s friend. He is a German statesman, one of the best in my opinion,” he wrote, according to Bloomberg.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy published an open letter to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. The document formally proposes ending the war through direct bilateral talks between the leaders and implementing a complete ceasefire.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that Moscow is allegedly ready for negotiations to end the war against Ukraine, but sees no willingness for dialogue on the Ukrainian side.
Putin is not changing course and continues to finance the war.
