"The Europeans will demand Ukraine's accession to NATO and the EU"
Brussels will present Russia with a list of strict requirements in the event of negotiations, Luxembourg MEP Fernand Kartheiser said in an interview with Izvestia. According to him, Ukraine's accession to NATO and the EU is among the conditions. However, Russia is winning the conflict and will soon be able to get Kiev to fulfill most of its demands, the politician believes. He stressed that there is no unity within the EU regarding dialogue, with Germany, the Baltic States and Poland in the camp of its opponents. In an exclusive interview with Izvestia, Fernand Kartheiser talks about where negotiations can take place and why the European Union cannot decide on a special envoy.
"Russia may soon impose most of its demands on Ukraine"
— Last week, EU foreign ministers discussed the prospects of negotiations with Russia at an informal summit in Cyprus. But the idea itself has been under consideration since the end of last year. Why can't the Europeans come to an agreement on this issue?
— The possibility of negotiations with Russia is currently being considered in the Council [of the European Union], since the goal is to restore dialogue at the governmental level. However, there are a number of problems that seem insurmountable at the moment.
First of all, the very idea of dialogue is controversial. Some member States or high-ranking officials, such as Ms. Kallas (Head of the European Diplomacy Kaya Kallas. — Ed.), vehemently oppose dialogue as such. They want to continue the conflict in order to weaken Russia as much as possible, without caring at all about the fate of Ukrainians.
The second problem is the lack of flexibility. Even if some Member States are willing to compromise, others are categorically against any concessions. In their eyes, Russia should definitely look like the losing side in this conflict.
The third problem is that the EU has so far refused to analyze its own interests and has simply followed the negotiating positions of Ukraine or the United States. Many states will be against putting their own political or economic interests above the interests of Kiev. This is illogical, but at the moment it remains a fact.
— At the same summit in Cyprus, the EU's position in negotiations with Russia was discussed. Kaya Kallas, in particular, said that Brussels would require Moscow to limit its armed forces. What other requirements are being prepared in the EU?
— The EU will certainly start negotiations from a maximalist position in full compliance with Kiev's demands. This will immediately lead to serious problems. For example, the European Union will ask for negotiations on a cease-fire without any deadlines, while Russia opposes this. Brussels will demand the full return of all territories to Ukraine in order to restore its borders as of 1991, that is, the complete withdrawal of the Russian Federation, including from Crimea. The Europeans will also demand Ukraine's future membership in NATO and the EU and insist that Russia compensate for the damage by confiscating its sovereign assets. The EU will also demand to condemn Russian leaders for "criminal aggression."
All this is unrealistic. Russia is winning the war in Ukraine and may soon impose most of its demands on it. Therefore, the EU should focus on a number of realistic and constructive positions, such as a new security architecture for Europe, the prevention of an arms race, political and economic stability, and so on. However, radical forces in the EU would regard any such discussion as a betrayal.
— Is the European Union itself ready to compromise for the sake of resolving the conflict?
— Oversimplification of the causes of war leads to the moral impossibility of making concessions. Russia is presented as an "absolute evil" that has committed an unprovoked and unjustified aggression against Ukraine. In addition, Russia is accused of imperial ambitions, a desire to restore the tsarist or Soviet empire, and a desire to attack EU countries. How can the virtuous, innocent West make deals with such a "dark force"?
"The EU is simply unable to negotiate and remains hostage to its own ideology"
— Which countries maintain a dialogue with Moscow? Are there many who are categorically against negotiations?
— There are countries that have publicly stated their unwillingness to negotiate with the Russians. These are mainly the Baltic States, Poland, and currently also Germany and some others. Mrs. Callas did the same. But other countries have demonstrated a different position, such as Belgium, Slovakia, Austria, Luxembourg, and sometimes even France and Italy.
The truth is that the EU member states cannot reach a consensus on this issue among themselves. If this situation persists for a long time, it could lead to serious tensions within the union, as the danger of direct confrontation with Russia is steadily increasing. More moderate States, of course, would not want to find themselves in a similar situation. In Germany, the government is behaving quite aggressively, but public opinion is largely opposed to such a course, so Germany's position is not credible.
— Russian President Vladimir Putin previously named former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder as an acceptable EU negotiator, but the European Union rejected this idea. Have decisions been made on the candidacy of a special envoy for negotiations with the Russian Federation?
— The issue with the candidate has not been resolved yet. But, given the aforementioned problems, this candidate will not be able to get a reasonable negotiating mandate. The EU is simply unable to negotiate and remains hostage to its own ideology. In such circumstances, I would start with an information mission at a lower diplomatic or political level to prepare the ground for future in-depth discussions. A sensible approach would be to start preparing for the discussions instead of trying to negotiate right now.
Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder
In addition to questions about the negotiating mandate and the person who is assigned this task, the important issue, of course, is the venue. It can be a neutral State or the venue of an international event such as a United Nations conference. I can imagine that the EU would not want to go to a meeting in Moscow, as this could be interpreted as a sign of weakness.
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