Euractiv: EU countries fear direct Trump-Putin talks

European Union countries are concerned that direct negotiations between U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin might take place without the involvement or consideration of the positions of EU member states.

The EU risks being sidelined in the negotiation process, Caliber.Az reports, citing the Euractiv portal.

Sources reported that the European Union is striving to secure its participation in discussions on Ukraine; however, the bloc "risks being relegated to secondary roles" at the negotiating table. The greatest concern lies in the possibility that "Trump could hold bilateral talks with Putin, bypassing the Europeans," the portal's sources noted.

According to the sources, the format of potential negotiations remains unclear, and no specific plans have been formalized. Speaking about the configuration of the talks, diplomats emphasized that the EU hopes to avoid a new "Minsk format," which could exclude some EU countries from the decision-making process. 

At the same time, European diplomats generally view Trump's current actions in preparing for negotiations positively. They see his shift from a campaign promise to resolve the Ukrainian conflict "within 24 hours" to a more realistic timeline of six months as a "good signal."

 By Khagan Isayev