Paris (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Ahead of a new round of discussions, France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said that European powers told the US last week which aspects of a potential peace agreement between Kyiv and Moscow would be non-negotiable for them.
The U.S., Ukraine, France, UK and Germany held their first joint discussions since President Donald Trump came to power in Paris, sharing their thoughts on ways to conclude the more than three-year-old fighting.
Senior officials, including U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, will meet again in London.
What are Europe’s non-negotiables in Ukraine talks?
“The only objective that concerns us is to defend French interests and European security. It’s the reason that as the US decide to place itself in a mediator position that we make them hear what our “red lines” are,”
Barrot told franceinfo radio on, mentioning concerns that the European leaders refused to change their stance on.
When asked about the credibility of Trump’s claim that a peace deal might be announced this week, Barrot stated it relied on Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“I think that the (Easter) truce which he (Putin) decreed somewhat surprisingly was a marketing operation, a seduction operation aimed at avoiding that President Trump gets impatient,”
Barrot stated.
He noted that, despite ongoing truce violations, there has been a decrease in the use of drones and long-range missiles, potentially paving the way for another truce.
How serious is the risk of war spreading to Europe?
A month ago, Jean-Noël Barrot said that a one-month truce plan between Russia and Ukraine would assess Moscow’s dedication to concluding the war it initiated with its 2022 invasion.
The day following a summit in London where European leaders expressed support for Ukraine amid the clash between Donald Trump and President Volodymyr Zelensky, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot issued a warning concerning Ukraine. “front line keeps getting closer to us.”
Moreover, requested by France Inter to address Trump’s claim that Zelensky was “gambling with World War III”, Barrot recognised the danger of the dispute spreading.
“Never has the risk of a war in Europe, in the European Union been so high… the threat keeps getting closer to us, the front line keeps getting closer to us,”
he said.
