Media: Europe’s big three prepare framework for Ukraine peace talks

A group of Ukraine’s principal European allies is developing plans with Kyiv to open a channel for talks with Russia aimed at ending the war, as they believe a shift in momentum is improving President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s position.

Officials from Europe’s three largest economies — Germany, France and the UK — have been discussing the possibility of initiating negotiations involving both sides, Bloomberg reports, citing people familiar with the discussions.

They have also raised the issue with their Ukrainian counterparts, said the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe private conversations.

Spokespeople for France and Britain did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A German government spokesman declined to comment.

With US-led efforts stalled and Russian forces suffering increasing losses amid a battlefield stalemate, the three countries see a window to potentially bring Russian President Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table, the people said.

Adding to pressure on the Kremlin, Ukrainian forces have achieved growing success with drone strikes deep inside Russia, and there are also emerging signs of resistance to Putin’s war within parts of Moscow’s leadership.

By engaging at this stage, the allies aim to prevent another winter in which Russia is expected to intensify attacks on civilians and energy infrastructure in an effort to weaken Ukrainian morale.

The people emphasized that any final decision on whether to proceed with outreach to Russia rests with Zelenskyy, and that European states will not push the Ukrainian leader to adopt a strategy he does not support.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to speak with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and France’s President Emmanuel Macron in the coming days, the people said.

Opponents of the idea of engaging Russia at this stage, including some officials within the so-called E3 countries, argue that the timing is inappropriate as Putin has shown no genuine willingness to negotiate and continues to maintain maximalist demands, including Ukraine ceding unoccupied territory.

Kyiv’s allies, they argue, should instead use this moment to supply Zelenskyy with additional weapons and intensify pressure on the Kremlin by tightening and strengthening sanctions further.

The same people added that the E3 should coordinate with the US to bring Russia to the table, as the issue lies in Moscow rather than Kyiv.

By Jeyhun Aghazada