US envoy says Europe won’t be at negotiating table for Ukraine-Russia peace talks – Washington Examiner
At a recent conference in Munich, U.S. special envoy Keith Kellogg announced that European leaders woudl not be included in the peace talks aimed at resolving the ongoing Ukraine-Russia conflict. This statement sparked outrage among European officials, with French President Emmanuel Macron calling for an emergency meeting with other European leaders to address the situation. Kellogg emphasized that while ukraine will participate in the negotiations, he urged European countries to contribute more actively by increasing defense spending and proposing concrete ideas. Finland’s President Alexander Stubb criticized the exclusion of Europe from talks, asserting that discussions about ukraine’s future cannot occur without European involvement. Following these remarks, a meeting involving leaders from the UK, italy, Poland, and Germany is expected to take place, focusing on Europe’s role in the peace process and its stance on NATO membership for Ukraine. The dialog surrounding ending the war in Ukraine has intensified recently, especially after President Trump engaged in talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who agreed to move forward with negotiations.
US envoy says Europe won’t be at negotiating table for Ukraine-Russia peace talks
President Donald Trump’s special envoy for the Ukraine-Russia conflict signaled on Saturday that Europe would not be involved in the peace talks to end the war, leading to outrage from European leaders and a call for an emergency meeting by French President Emmanuel Macron.
At the Munich Security Conference, where top European leaders have gathered this weekend to discuss the war in Ukraine among other issues, U.S. special envoy Keith Kellogg was asked whether he could pledge that both Ukrainians and Europeans would be at the negotiating table for talks to end the three-year conflict.
In response, Kellogg said that “the answer to that last question, just as you framed it, is no,” while adding that Ukraine will “of course” be involved in the peace talks.
However, he still urged European countries to “get into the debate” about the war, including by increasing their defense spending.
“And to my European friends, I would say: ‘Get into the debate, not by complaining that you might, yes or no, be at the table, but by coming up with concrete proposals, ideas, ramp up [defense] spending,’” Kellogg said.
European leaders were quick to respond to the comments, with Finnish President Alexander Stubb saying there’s “no way” any peace talks can go on without Europe.
“There’s no way in which we can have discussions or negotiations about Ukraine, Ukraine’s future or European security structure, without Europeans,” Stubb said. “But this means that Europe needs to get its act together. Europe needs to talk less and do more.”
Macron also immediately called for an emergency meeting in Paris with European leaders that is likely slated for Monday, shortly after the conference’s conclusion. The countries in attendance will be the United Kingdom, Italy, Poland, and Germany, according to the Guardian.
That meeting is expected to include discussions on U.S. efforts to exclude European leaders from the peace talks and the position Europe should adopt on NATO membership for Ukraine, something that U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said is unrealistic in any peace negotiations.
Talks on an end to the war in Ukraine have accelerated over the past week after Trump on Wednesday spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who agreed to “start negotiations immediately.” The president tasked Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, national security adviser Michael Waltz, and Middle East special envoy Steve Witkoff to lead those negotiations. Kellogg was not named in the announcement.
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