The process is gone: Europe's attempts to stop the settlement in Ukraine are failing
Russian President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to meet with US Special Representative Steve Witkoff on December 2 to discuss a peace plan for Ukraine. At this stage, neither Kiev nor European capitals will be able to stop the settlement process, Konstantin Kosachev, Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council, told Izvestia. However, it cannot be ruled out that Brussels will resort to provocations, the senator added. Against the background of preparations for the meeting in the Kremlin, Vladimir Zelensky visited France for the second time in two weeks. As the Russian Embassy in the republic explained to Izvestia, the increased visits are related to Paris' attempts to disrupt the peace process. Meanwhile, Kiev and Washington discussed the "difficult points" of the agreement — the meeting of the delegations took place on November 30 in Florida, according to media reports, there was a second conversation. According to experts, the resignation of the head of the office of the President of Ukraine, Andriy Ermak, deprived Kiev of the main ideologue for the continuation of the conflict.
Witkoff's visit to Moscow
Washington continues its mission in the negotiations on the Ukrainian settlement. The first version of the US peace plan has already been changed in Geneva. Moscow has received the main parameters of this document, said Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation. It is likely that US Special Representative Steve Witkoff has planned a visit to the Russian capital to discuss the updated version. Perhaps the son-in-law of the head of the White House, Jared Kushner, will come with him. On the afternoon of December 2, Witkoff will be received by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and US Special Representative Steve Witkoff, August 6, Moscow, Russia
In addition, on the same day, Moscow will host the 20th round of Russian-Chinese consultations on strategic security with the participation of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. However, according to Dmitry Peskov, Vladimir Putin's meeting with Wang Yi has not yet been scheduled. But it is possible that the Chinese diplomat will raise the issue of a peaceful settlement with Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu. Chinese President Xi Jinping has previously supported the US efforts.
However, not everyone wants to resolve the conflict. A number of European capitals insist on harsh and unacceptable conditions for Moscow, thereby trying to adjust the parameters of the agreement in their favor.
— Under no circumstances can Ukraine stop this process. She has tried to do this before, and we know the result — it is absolutely negative in all respects. Therefore, God forbid that Europe should ever have ambitions to stop this process again," Konstantin Kosachev, Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council, told Izvestia.
According to the senator, Europe does not understand what a collective security solution is, and insists that any steps in this area should be carried out "only in a European way."
— In European terms, this is a dead end. And this impasse, if I'm not mistaken, will be replicated tomorrow (December 2) during the meeting between Putin and Witkoff. — Ed.), when the Europeans once again commit some kind of provocation,— Kosachev said.
On December 1, Vladimir Zelensky arrived in Paris, and this is the second time in two weeks. He was expected to discuss the same peace agreement with French President Emmanuel Macron, namely, the "conditions for a just and sustainable peace" in Ukraine in continuation of the Geneva talks. Security guarantees for Kiev and coordination of positions with European allies through the "coalition of the willing" were also on the agenda.
Zelensky also held an intensive round of telephone conversations there. First, with Witkoff, apparently to check the clock on the peace agreement after the meeting of the American and Ukrainian delegations in Florida on November 30. According to him, NSDC Secretary Rustem Umerov, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Macron were in touch. After that, the President of Ukraine had talks with the heads of the European Council and the European Commission, Antonio Costa and Ursula von der Leyen, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and several other heads of European states and governments. According to AFP, Witkoff held a second meeting with Umerov on December 1.
"The recent frequent meetings between Emmanuel Macron and Vladimir Zelensky indicate that official Paris does not abandon attempts to torpedo the emerging process of peaceful settlement in Ukraine, which is being built in the format of Russian-American agreements," the Russian Embassy in France told Izvestia.
Zelensky's visit to France is also an attempt to involve Paris in negotiations, of which he is not a part, Konstantin Kosachev stressed. The French side has no real relation to the settlement of the conflict, as does Europe as a whole.
This is confirmed by the embassy. Paris has no contact with the Russian diplomatic mission on the issue of the peace agreement and is purposefully pushing Zelensky to continue the conflict "to the last Ukrainian." The Elysee Palace promises Kiev "non-existent fighters" or "ephemeral support," the embassy stressed. Two weeks ago, Macron and Zelensky signed a declaration according to which Kiev should receive up to 100 Rafale aircraft by 2035, as well as upgraded SAMP/T air defense systems, a large package of ammunition and drones. However, it was only a statement of intent, not a full-fledged agreement.
Discussions on the peace plan
Zelensky is seeking support from the Europeans against the background of the corruption scandal in Ukraine, which was not well received in the United States. The resignation of the head of the office of the President of Ukraine, Andriy Ermak, significantly undermined Kiev's position at least as a reliable negotiator. It was Ermak who was in many ways the ideologist of the continuation of the conflict, said Dmitry Yezhov, a political scientist and associate professor at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation. His dismissal knocked the ground out from under Zelensky's feet.
— If we do not accept the American plan, it will lead to a quarrel with the United States, and a rather large one at that. And this could put an end to the Ukrainian project itself. And it's already clear that Europe can't pull it off without America," he said.
Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Ermak and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio talk to the press after closed-door talks at the U.S. Embassy in Geneva, Switzerland, November 23, 2025
Besides, Europe is not even aware of the progress of the negotiations. After consultations in Geneva on November 23, officials from Brussels stopped informing at all. This was once again confirmed on December 1 by the head of the European Diplomacy, Kaya Kallas. According to her, the United States did not notify the structures of the European Union about the results of the meeting in Florida. And they, apparently, were. U.S. and Ukrainian negotiators have focused on defining the actual border with Russia as part of the agreement and security guarantees, according to media reports.
Washington is still satisfied with the negotiations. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called them productive, but added that the parties still have a lot of work to do. US President Donald Trump, in turn, stressed that negotiations on Ukraine are going well. And this clearly does not suit Brussels.
"At one stage of this process, the European Union proposed its own revision of the Trump plan, which changed important points for the Russian side regarding the issues of territories, the sale of Russian assets and Ukraine's membership in NATO," Ilya Shcherbakov, an employee of the Department of International Relations and Integration Processes at the Faculty of Political Science at Moscow State University, told Izvestia.
In the original 28-point version, Kiev refused membership in the alliance at the legislative level. However, at the talks in Geneva, which were attended by European representatives, I got the opportunity to join NATO again, and this point was simply designated as "controversial."
In Europe, they believe that Ukraine's membership in NATO, as well as in the EU, is the only way to long—term peace, Pekka Tovery, head of the Ukraine–EU Parliamentary Cooperation committee in the European Parliament, told Izvestia. He also recalled that membership in the European Union includes a clause (Article 42.7), which prescribes that member states can provide assistance to each other in the event of an attack.
— That is, the members should support each other, although this is not a military alliance in the NATO sense. And when we talk about this, the first step should be Ukraine's accession to the EU at some point in the future. This guarantees and simplifies the opportunity for member states to support Ukraine, including by military means, if necessary, even before Ukraine ever becomes a full member of NATO," the MEP stressed.
Nevertheless, Moscow does not deny that it is almost impossible to discuss the security architecture in Europe without the participation of the Europeans themselves.
Anyway, at this stage, Russia and the United States perceive European participation as unconstructive. This is stated directly in Moscow, and Washington makes it clear by its unwillingness to keep Brussels informed.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
