Estonian leader: Peace talks on Ukraine impossible without Europe

Estonian President Alar Karis said that meaningful peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine cannot take place without the involvement of Europe, while arguing that an earlier opportunity for talks was missed at the start of the war.

In an interview with Yle, Karis said Europe failed to seize what he described as the best chance for a negotiated settlement in the spring of 2022, shortly after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

“When Russian troops were pushed back from the outskirts of Kyiv to positions relatively close to Russian territory, Europe had the opportunity to bring the aggressor to the negotiating table. Now no one is sitting at the negotiating table,” he said.

Karis stressed that Europe must now develop a comprehensive strategy that addresses both future peace negotiations and post-war reconstruction efforts.

He underlined the scale of European involvement in supporting Ukraine, particularly by the European Union, and warned against any scenario in which Europe is excluded from eventual negotiations.

“The European Union has invested a great deal in Ukraine. It cannot be that when the time comes, the negotiating table will include the United States, Russia, and perhaps some third country, while Europe is not there at all,” he said.

Looking ahead, Karis suggested that relations with Russia are likely to remain difficult even after the war ends. He emphasised the need for internal change within Russia, pointing to historical precedents in Europe.

“Nazi Germany was an aggressor state. After World War II, when the country’s leadership was punished, Germany changed. In less than ten years, it joined NATO and the European Union,” Karis said.

By Tamilla Hasanova