Europe will not be part of Ukraine peace talks, US envoy says [View all]
Source: Reuters
February 15, 2025 1:41 PM EST Updated an hour ago
MUNICH, Feb 15 (Reuters) - Europe won't have a seat at the table for Ukraine peace talks, Donald Trump's lead Ukraine envoy said on Saturday, after Washington sent a questionnaire to European capitals to ask what they could contribute to security guarantees for Kyiv.
Trump shocked European allies this week by calling Russian President Vladimir Putin without consulting them or Kyiv beforehand and declaring an immediate start to Ukraine peace talks. Trump administration officials have also made clear in recent days that they expect European allies in NATO to take primary responsibility for the region as the U.S. now has other priorities, such as border security and countering China.
Asked if he could assure the audience that Ukrainians and Europeans would be at the table for talks, General Keith Kellogg told a global security conference in Munich: "The answer to that last question (regarding Europeans), just as you framed it, the answer is no."
Ukrainians, however, will "of course" be at the table, he said, adding it would be foolish to suggest otherwise. This triggered an immediate rebuke from European leaders. "There's no way in which we can have discussions or negotiations about Ukraine, Ukraine's future or European security structure, without Europeans," Finland's President Alexander Stubb told the same security conference in Munich.
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/zelenskiy-calls-european-army-deter-russia-earn-us-respect-2025-02-15/
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