Berlin, Germany – After the US move to initiate peace talks with Russia, the major EU countries and the UK are still struggling to find a unified position. There are still “certain differences of opinion” at some points, according to Government Spokesman Steffen Hebestreit, in a response to a request from the German News Agency on Friday.
Specifically, the discussion on how to organize security for Ukraine after a conflict resolution in the Ukraine remains a point of contention, with the German Chancellor’s position being that the discussion is “moving too fast” and is “too early”, Hebestreit said. The British Prime Minister has explicitly offered to actively participate in a possible peacekeeping mission in Ukraine with troops, while Germany remains cautious in this regard.
The Government Spokesman refused to comment on the French President’s offer to represent Germany in Washington next week, saying that “the European Union will be represented by the Commission President and the Council President”. However, Hebestreit added that there is a constant exchange of views between the security advisors, foreign ministers and defense ministers, all of whom are “heading in the same direction”.
On Monday, the state and government heads of France, the UK, Germany, Denmark, Poland, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain, as well as representatives of NATO and the EU, met in Paris to discuss a common approach to the Ukraine issue and the general security situation. The announcement by the US administration, initially planning to hold peace talks with Russia without EU involvement, had caused a stir and further comments by the US President, questioning the legitimacy of the Ukrainian President, have added to the tension.