The EU is seeking a more active role in the negotiations on Ukraine, while Russia, through Sergey Lavrov, is making it clear that it does not consider the EU a partner.

The intention of the European Union to be ready for future diplomatic engagement with Russia, when conditions permit, was discussed during the session on Ukraine at the Summit of European Leaders, which was also attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, according to a European official.

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov appeared today to reject the possibility of the European Union serving as a partner in potential negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.

As the European official stated, “the President of the European Council emphasized the need for the EU to act with confidence in supporting Ukraine and to be ready to assume its responsibilities, provided that and when conditions are right for engagement with Russia, thereby helping to ensure a just and lasting peace that will also protect Europe’s interests.”

As he noted, “this is exactly what President Zelenskyy is calling for: a Europe that will play a more active role in diplomatic efforts.”

At the same time, he emphasized that “the most important factor is that Europeans remain united both in terms of how to approach Russia and in terms of the position the EU should take.” He added that “the President’s role is to safeguard the unity of the EU,” while recalling that “several leaders pointed out that, according to the Treaties, the President is the natural representative of the EU’s interests.”

Referring to the recent limited diplomatic contacts with the Kremlin, the same official stated that “António Costa explained that he had asked his office to open a diplomatic channel of communication with Russia, with the aim of being ready, when the right moment comes, to defend the EU’s interests.” He clarified, however, that “these are brief contacts without any exchange of views on the substance of the matter and without any negotiations,” “simply diplomats carrying out their diplomatic duties.”

In the Council’s conclusions on the issue of Ukraine, which were adopted for the first time in quite some time, a development attributed to a shift in Hungary’s stance, according to the same official, “there is a new sense of unity regarding Ukraine at the European Council table, and this is demonstrated by the adoption of the European Council’s conclusions by all 27 member states.”

90 billion loan

In the conclusions, EU leaders welcomed the opening of the first chapter in Ukraine’s accession negotiations, expressing their expectation that the remaining chapters would follow shortly.

The European Council looks forward to the first disbursement to Ukraine from the 90 billion for the years 2026 and 2027 before the end of June 2026.

The European Council reiterates the importance of further reducing Russia’s energy revenues, curtailing the activities of “shadow fleet,” and further weakening its banking system. It welcomes the recent adoption of new sanctions, particularly against the shadow fleet, following the approval of the 20th sanctions package, and calls for the swift adoption of the 21st sanctions package.

Finally, EU leaders called for an immediate end to all foreign support for Russia and condemned the military assistance it receives from North Korea, Iran, and Belarus.

Lavrov’s Article

In an article written in Russian and English and released by his office, the head of Russian diplomacy argues that, in reality, European leaders have no intention of negotiating with Moscow.

Their goal is “to strengthen the regime of (Ukrainian President Volodymyr) Zelenskyy and to maintain it as a basis for continuing the conflict with Russia,” he emphasized.

In his article, Sergey Lavrov states that Europe “dreams of expansion” by NATO and EU member states toward Russia’s borders and that, over the past two decades, diplomatic efforts have been nothing more than a “smokescreen” for this very purpose. A dialogue can only take place if there is an impartial third-party mediator, he added.

The Russian foreign minister also reiterated his warning that there is a risk of direct conflict between Russiaand NATO, which could lead to an exchange of nuclear strikes with “catastrophic consequences.”