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The delivery did not work: the EP considers it necessary to stop military aid to Ukraine
The European Union needs to stop military supplies to Ukraine to resolve the conflict, a number of MEPs told Izvestia. They also advocate a peaceful resolution of the crisis, unlike the leaders of their countries. Now the parties to the conflict are preparing for a meeting in Istanbul: discussions will cover, among other things, the realities on earth, including the issue of territories, the Russian Foreign Ministry said. At the same time, the United States threatens to withdraw from the negotiation process if Moscow and Kiev do not start a dialogue. Special envoy of the American president Steve Witkoff said that it is impossible to resolve the conflict in Ukraine without Vladimir Putin's consent. Witkoff, along with his colleagues Marco Rubio and Keith Kellogg, will also travel to Turkey to monitor the negotiation process, Western media reported. What results can be expected from the meeting in Istanbul — in the Izvestia article.
Europe's position on the Ukrainian settlement
The European Union, which formally declares its commitment to peace, continues to balance between supporting Kiev and internal contradictions. Against the background of Vladimir Putin's proposal for talks with Ukraine on May 15 in Istanbul, there is a rift between the EU countries. Some insist on "Ukraine's victory at any cost," while others are increasingly talking about the need for a diplomatic solution. In the current circumstances, this is a difficult and deeply sensitive issue, said Milan Ugrik, a member of the European Parliament.
— But there are weighty arguments in favor of starting negotiations. First, saving lives. Any path that can lead to a cease-fire or a peace agreement can reduce or end the ongoing loss of life and suffering. Secondly, economic and humanitarian assistance. After all, there is international support, when some allies may view negotiations as a sign of diplomatic maturity and a step towards stability. In addition, the involvement of neutral third parties (for example, Turkey, the United Nations or others) can increase the chances of a productive dialogue, while providing certain guarantees," the European parliamentarian noted.
This is also the view of some European leaders, such as the Prime Ministers of Slovakia and Hungary, Robert Fico and Viktor Orban, who see negotiations as the only way to stop the conflict. However, the key condition for this, according to Ugrik, is the cessation of military support for Kiev: "The only lever of influence may be the cessation of financial and military assistance, which, unfortunately, many leaders refuse. I think that the heads of EU countries and European institutions should increase pressure on Zelensky and convince him to start peace talks. The conflict is already harming Ukraine, the EU and Russia too much."
— At the same time, a number of Western countries are afraid to lose face and stop supplying weapons to Ukraine. Although, of course, we must move towards finding a long-term solution to the conflict, which means that it is necessary to stop sending weapons. This only prolongs the conflict. It is clear to everyone that Russia has military superiority, and Western supplies are not capable of turning the tide on the battlefield. Nevertheless, some countries are trying to weaken the Russian Federation in this way," Ivan David, a member of the European Parliament from the Czech Republic, told Izvestia.
Official Brussels is demonstrating a generally aggressive attitude. As Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated on May 13, Europe "can in no way claim to have an unbiased approach" to the settlement, since it "completely and completely takes the side of Ukraine." This assessment is confirmed by the actions of the EU: instead of searching for compromises, Brussels is preparing a new package of sanctions against Russia, and is also looking for ways to circumvent Hungary's veto on existing restrictions.
Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov
— I hope that public pressure and the desire of all EU citizens for peace will convince European and world leaders to put dangerous games aside and mobilize for one goal — successful peace talks in Istanbul. <...> I hope that Brussels will at least get out of the logic of war and become a defender of peace. Citizens of EU member states, especially Romanian citizens, are fed up with the war and the harmful foreign policy of the European Union," Romanian MEP Diana Shoshoake told Izvestia.
At the same time, Bloomberg reports that the European Union intends to wait for the results of the Istanbul meeting before imposing new sanctions (possibly jointly with the Americans). Such a pause looks more like a tactical ploy than a sincere desire to give a chance to dialogue. Germany, a key EU player, has curtailed public discussions on the supply of Taurus missiles to Ukraine, but continues to provide military support to Kiev. As the representative of the German Ministry of Defense noted, the importance of these missiles "has been overestimated," but this does not negate their potential use.
The split within the EU became even more evident after the visit of a group of MEPs to Moscow to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory. As a result of this trip, the European Parliament even launched an investigation, which underscores Brussels' intolerance of any attempts at dialogue with Russia. Nevertheless, these politicians — from Slovakia, Germany, the Czech Republic and Cyprus — openly opposed the EU's anti-Russian line, meeting with Chairman of the State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin. Special attention was paid to the visit of Robert Fico, who was not only one of the guests at the Victory Day Parade, but also held talks with Vladimir Putin. The head of the Slovak government considered the reaction of Brussels unacceptable.
The main task that the leading European countries are currently setting themselves is to sit down at the negotiating table, says Sergey Shein, senior researcher at the Central Research Institute of Higher School of Economics.
— Therefore, they are not very interested in the issues of the future architecture of European security, which should be of primary concern. It is important for them that Ukraine somehow tries to protect its interests within the framework of the settlement. But based on what is happening on the battlefield and the current diplomatic activity of the United States and the Russian Federation, this is unlikely. I think the Europeans have hope that Trump will eventually abandon the Ukrainian settlement and everything will return to the paradigm that was under Joe Biden, but on a much smaller scale," Sergei Shein said in an interview with Izvestia.
However, the Republican is unlikely to abandon the settlement due to reputational risks. And progress in Russian-American relations affects the actions of the Europeans, the expert added.
What to expect from a potential meeting between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul
While the EU is trying to synchronize its position with the United States, Moscow and Washington are playing a separate game. Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, bluntly stated that the conflict cannot be resolved without Putin's consent. This recognition undermines the EU's ambitions to become an independent participant in the negotiations. As Peskov noted, Europe's approach "contrasts with the position of Moscow and Washington," since Brussels "aims to continue the war."
Putin's proposal to resume negotiations on May 15 in Istanbul was a test of the capacity of all parties. As Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov noted, Russia "is ready to negotiate responsibly, but doubts the other side's ability to negotiate." Kiev, according to him, continues to demonstrate an "aggressive position." This is confirmed by the recent scandal with China. Ukraine called the participation of the Chinese honor guard in the Victory Day Parade in Moscow "support for the occupiers," to which the Chinese Foreign Ministry responded with harsh criticism: "Ukraine does not understand who the aggressor is at all?" — referring to the historical context of the holiday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin
At the same time, the United States, which is still pushing for a settlement in every possible way, is threatening to withdraw from the negotiation process altogether, thereby increasing pressure on both sides. It is still known that Donald Trump has sent his special envoys, Witkoff and Kellogg, to Istanbul. Their task is to monitor the negotiation process. According to Witkoff, the main topics will be "Kiev's abandonment of territories, the use of the nuclear power plant and Ukraine's access to the Dnieper and the Black Sea." At the talks in Istanbul, the parties will touch upon issues of sustainable settlement and the realities on earth, including the issue of territories, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
Washington openly uses other levers of pressure: Kellogg mentioned plans to deploy forces from Britain, France, Germany and Poland to the west of the Dnieper River — a clear signal to Moscow of a possible escalation. At the same time, the Russian Federation has repeatedly opposed the deployment of Western contingents in Ukraine, even as peacekeepers.
Ukraine, however, is in no hurry to finally give up its position. According to the SVR, Kiev holds civilians in the Kursk region as a "valuable asset" for future bargaining. At the same time, Zelensky is trying to balance between the demands of the West and political pressure within the country. Zelensky's willingness to be in Istanbul is related to US pressure, said Mikhail Mironyuk, associate professor at the Department of Politics and Management at the National Research University Higher School of Economics. After Putin's proposal for talks in Turkey, Trump publicly stated that Ukraine should agree "immediately." In his opinion, "Russia needs new negotiations to demonstrate its readiness for a political settlement format."
While diplomats are preparing for negotiations, the West is ready to use economic pressure. The EU and the United States are discussing the "toughest" sanctions against Russia, which may be imposed as early as June. At the same time, according to the Financial Times, the minerals agreement between Washington and Kiev is unlikely to bring profit in the next decade — another sign that the West views Ukraine as a long-term project to contain Russia.
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