President Pavel warns Europe risks being left out of Ukraine peace talks

If Europe does not clearly put forward its demands in negotiations on peace in Ukraine, Russia could reach an agreement with the United States and China “over our heads”, President Petr Pavel said after Monday's cabinet meeting.

He said there was currently a window of opportunity for Europe to get involved in the talks, but warned that it could close if European countries insisted on first reaching a completely unified position.

Last Wednesday, Pavel discussed with Finnish President Alexander Stubb a conversation between the Finnish president, the Norwegian prime minister and Russian President Vladimir Putin. According to those involved, Russia is currently showing a degree of willingness to engage, Pavel said.

He argued that Europe should seize the opportunity by taking a pragmatic approach while ensuring it was thoroughly prepared for the negotiations. Ideally, as many European countries as possible should support a common position, he added.