Ukraine will decide for itself who the EU’s representative will be in negotiations with Russia, says Zelenskyy

Zelenskyy has revealed who will represent the EU in any potential negotiations with Russia. Photo: Office of the President

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that the final decision on who will represent the European Union in negotiations with Russia will be made by Ukraine.

He made these remarks in an interview with «TSN. Week».

According to the head of state, European partners will propose several candidates, after which Ukraine will determine who will represent the EU in the negotiation process.

«They will consider the format, and Ukraine will ultimately decide who will be the negotiator on behalf of Europe. They will propose several options,» said Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The President noted that the issue of possible negotiations with Russia was discussed during this week’s European Council meeting. According to him, the closed-door part of the meeting lasted around two hours, and one of the key topics was Europe’s role in the dialogue with Russia and the security risks for other states in the absence of a negotiation process.

In addition, Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke about Ukraine’s prospects for progress towards EU membership. He said that a further five negotiation clusters could be opened by the end of July.

«As for the other clusters, we’ve done everything. I do not believe that we will fail to open them in July. Perhaps the only thing that could prevent us from doing so is some political issue… There is a chance that we will open a further five clusters between mid-July and the end of July, provided there is no purely political obstruction,» said the president.

It should be recalled that Ukraine previously opposed the possible appointment of former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder as the European Union’s representative in negotiations with Russia. Officials in Kyiv emphasised that there are plenty of other candidates among European politicians to fulfil this role. The head of European diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, and the German government also spoke out against Schröder’s candidacy, believing that the Kremlin is attempting to sow discord within the EU in this way.

Furthermore, the President of Finland, Alexander Stubb, had previously stated his willingness to represent Europe in any potential peace talks, should he receive such a request. However, he later noted that he did not see himself as a candidate for this role and believed that France, Germany and the UK could represent Europe’s interests.