Europe Draws Red Line on Russia’s Security Talks Demand

Dublin (GNP): European leaders said on Friday that the continent’s security structure should not be part of any Ukraine-Russia peace negotiations. They stopped short of deciding who should represent Europe if talks go ahead.

The message came in response to the Kremlin, which had said Russia would be open to European countries joining Ukraine peace talks if it saw they were ready to contribute. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz dismissed the comment as “the same old game” and said Europe and the United States share a clear position.

Speaking to reporters at an EU summit in Dublin, Merz said there will be no talks about Ukraine without Ukraine and none about Europe without Europe. He added that Europe already has its security architecture and has no need to discuss it.

Russia sees it differently. Its officials have called for a broad agreement on Europe’s security architecture before the specifics of the war are tackled. Before invading Ukraine in 2022, Moscow demanded that North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) forces withdraw from countries that joined the alliance after 1997, and NATO rejected that demand.

The issue gained fresh weight on Thursday, when US negotiator Jared Kushner said in Moscow that he had begun discussions with European partners on the continent’s security architecture. European leaders appear wary of where such talks could lead.

Kaja Kallas, the EU’s foreign policy chief, warned that Russian calls for these discussions risk distracting from the need for a ceasefire. Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs went further and called the proposed discussions “a trap.”

According to a European diplomat, leaders from Poland, the Baltic states and the Nordic countries made a similar warning at a meeting on Thursday. They cautioned against brainstorming Europe’s security architecture with either the US or Russia.

On the same day, 40 European countries meeting as a wider group in Dublin signed a declaration. It states that any matter affecting European security should be decided with the involvement of Europeans.

That raises the harder question of who speaks for Europe. EU leaders broadly agreed the continent should speak with one voice, but they did not settle on one person to deliver it. Merz said discussions would continue.

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He pointed to existing options, noting that Kallas is part of the EU’s established representation and that the E3 format has proven effective. The E3 is an informal grouping of France, Germany and Britain, which is no longer an EU member but remains a prominent NATO ally. Merz added that Italy and Poland are always included.

Representatives from Britain, France, Germany, Italy and the EU also attended Russia-Ukraine talks in Abu Dhabi earlier this week. Moscow and Kyiv both cited some progress, but there was no sign of a breakthrough on key issues such as territory.

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said Britain, one of Europe’s top three military powers, must be included in any future talks. He said the five countries plus EU institutions would make sense, but he was flexible, adding that what Europe says matters more than who sits in the room.

Merz said, “There will be no discussions about Ukraine without Ukraine,” and none about Europe without Europe.