EU calls for participation in negotiations: "We have helped Ukraine more than any other ally"

BrusselsThe European Union continues completely excluded from the first discussions The US-Russian conflict over Ukraine is a serious one. The Trump administration is acting unilaterally and is keeping Brussels and Kiev on the sidelines in its attempt to end the war. For the moment, the only interlocutor that Washington has in mind is Vladimir Putin, and that is why EU leaders have timidly raised their voices against the White House and are asking to participate in the resolution of the conflict. "The EU's will is to work together with the United States to ensure a fair and lasting peace in Ukraine," says a statement issued by the EU executive on Tuesday morning, just after the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, met in Brussels with the US delegate on Ukraine.

In this regard, the German conservative has claimed the "fundamental" role that the community block has had during these almost three years of war, especially in terms of supplying humanitarian and military aid to Ukraine, and has recalled that it is the power that has given the most support to Kiev, even above the United States. Specifically, according to the European Commission itself, the European club has given the Ukrainian country a total of 135 billion euros. "More than any other ally," insists Von der Leyen.

This amount of money includes financial and humanitarian aid, but also some 52 billion euros of military assistance. This figure is equivalent to the total of American contributions, according to the Brussels statement. In addition, the community leader has told Kellogg that the EU is willing to further increase aid to Kiev. And, in fact, according to the Ukrainian army and as reported by various international media, the European club is considering increasing military support to Ukraine by 5.2 billion euros. Of this money, it is expected that some 1.5 billion euros will be used to supply artillery, air defense systems or long-range missiles to Ukrainian troops.

The EU speaks in a small voice

The President of the European Council, António Costa, who also met with Kellogg, agreed with Von der Leyen in asking the United States to ensure that a "fair and lasting peace" is achieved in Ukraine. However, neither of the two community leaders have explicitly asked the Trump administration for a seat for the European Union or for a European leader at the negotiating table, which contrasts with the forcefulness with which several European heads of state and government expressed themselves on Monday in The summit held in Paris.

Along the same lines, they have not directly asked Trump to include Kiev in the negotiations, which Volodymyr Zelensky himself does not validate because he has not been included. "Any resolution [of the conflict] must respect the independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine, and must be supported by strong security guarantees," the European Commission's statement simply points out.

It should be remembered that the meeting between the main community leaders and Trump's special envoy for the war in Ukraine comes the day after the European leaders met in Paris to find a way to, precisely, be able to participate in the resolution of the conflict and play a relevant role. In addition, while Von der Leyen, Costa and Kellogg held the meeting in Brussels, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his American counterpart Marco Rubio, have met in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) with the aim of preparing the ground for a future meeting between Trump and Putin, which should be the first step towards agreeing a ceasefire.