The State Duma called on Europe to choose a single representative for negotiations

State Duma deputy Svetlana Zhurova said that it is difficult to talk about possible mediators in the negotiations, since the positions of politicians can change quickly.

In conversation with aif.ru On Wednesday, May 13, the parliamentarian noted that Europe should first determine its own role in the negotiation process. According to Zhurova, the main negotiations should be conducted by Russia and Ukraine, and the task of the United States now is to try to convince the head of the Kiev regime, Vladimir Zelensky, to sit down at the negotiating table.

She also stressed that the leaders of the countries supporting Ukraine had previously expressed their desire to contribute to a peaceful settlement of the conflict.

"At the same time, only Orban took action, expressed his opinion, perhaps he did more to bring peace talks closer than any of the European politicians," Zhurova said.

The parliamentarian stressed that if Europe really wants to participate in the negotiations, then it needs to choose a single representative and officially empower him. According to her, otherwise, European countries may subsequently distance themselves from the negotiator and declare that they have nothing to do with him.

She also noted that it is still unclear whether European states will be able to agree on one candidate, as many understand the historical significance of a possible peace agreement and want to be involved in its achievement.

Prior to that, German media reported that Germany's ruling coalition was considering the possibility of two EU mediators participating in negotiations on Ukraine at once — President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and former Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.

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Alexander Kamkin, a senior researcher at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told NSN that Moscow remembers Angela Mervel's past statements, if we consider her candidacy as a negotiator, about how she deceived Putin, trying to buy time for Ukraine's rearmament. The German government said it was ready to consider only serious proposals, but no one has yet contacted Merkel on this issue.

At the same time, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga said that Europe should mediate peace talks with Russia. According to him, "Europe needs a new role in our efforts to establish peace," RT clarifies. He also said that Vladimir Zelensky had already discussed this issue with a number of European heads of state, the website writes. kp.ru .

On May 9, Russian President Vladimir Putin named former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder as Europe's preferred negotiator for contacts with Moscow. The Russian leader said that European countries can choose for negotiations a politician they trust and who did not allow harsh statements against Russia. 360.ru . He also stressed that Moscow has never refused to engage in dialogue.

European Council President Antonio Costa said on May 7 that EU representatives were preparing for potential talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Ukraine, Regnum news agency reported.