Europe needs 'special envoy' to take part in Ukraine peace talks, says Finnish President
The European Union needs a special envoy to Ukraine peace talks to avoid being cut out of negotiations, Finnish President Alexander Stubb said on Feb. 16 at the Munich Security Conference.
Trump's special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, said the day previously that Europe would not be directly involved in peace talks.
A new European special envoy, Stubb said, would help focus European efforts and give them a voice in such talks.
"If there is a negotiating table, I think we need to do something similar to what was done in Kosovo. Europe needs to have a special envoy," Stubb said. "And then, a deputy envoy, who is on the level of Kellogg, (Steve) Witkoff, (Andriy) Yermak, or (Yuriy) Ushakov."
Earlier, Politico reported that U.S. officials were heading to Saudi Arabia to meet with Russian representatives for talks meant to lay the ground work for a potential summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Kyiv was not invited and was even surprised by the announced meeting in Saudi Arabia, causing alarm that negotiations to end Russia's nearly three year invasion will happen without Ukraine's involvement.
Croation Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic voiced a similar sentiment as Stubb, saying that Europe needs a strong representative in negotiations, Reuters reported.
"What we lacked on Ukraine in recent years was one personality highly respected by everyone, taken into account in Moscow, taken into account in Kyiv, and having support in Washington and European capitals and other leaders, including the global South, that could have the authority to manage the peace talks," said Plenkovic.
Read also: Making sense of Trump's plan – if there is one – to end Russia's war in Ukraine
We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
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