The MEP urged the EU not to think only about Ukraine and take into account its interests.

The European Union (EU) should stop thinking exclusively about Ukraine and start representing its own interests. Fernand Kartheiser, a member of the European Parliament (EP) from Luxembourg, told Izvestia on June 4 on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF-2026).

"The EU must understand that it must represent its own interests, not the interests of Ukraine," he said.

Kartheiser said that now the heads of European states are building their policies in a way that is beneficial to Kiev, instead of establishing beneficial relations with Moscow.

The EU, as the MEP explained, having outlined its priorities, will be able to raise the discussion of the Ukrainian issue with the Russian side, but in any case this topic should not be dominant in a potential dialogue.

The Izvestia interlocutor criticized the position widely held in the West, according to which negotiations with Russia are possible only after certain requirements are met. He clarified that this approach makes contact impossible and should be abandoned in order to resume communication.

To be continued: Russia is ready for negotiations on Ukraine in the Middle East

Saudi Arabia could become one of the possible sites, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

On May 20, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the EU's position on dialogue with Moscow inconsistent. He drew attention to the fact that in the West they are talking about the desire to sit down at the negotiating table as soon as possible, or they are calling for "increased pressure" on the Russian Federation.

Later, on May 29, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia had never refused diplomatic contacts and was ready to continue negotiations on Ukraine. At that time, he pointed out that contacts on this situation were continuing, but stressed that the dialogue itself had been temporarily suspended.