'Completely unnecessary': Kremlin rejects European role in Ukraine peace efforts

The Kremlin on Wednesday slammed European countries for participating in diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine, saying their involvement was “completely unnecessary”.

The remarks come as officials in Kyiv, along with European allies, express growing concern that Washington and Moscow could negotiate key agreements without consulting them.

“The Europeans meddling in all these affairs is, as I see it, completely unnecessary,” AFP quoted Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov telling a state TV reporter.

On Monday, the Kremlin had dismissed a European counter-proposal to a US 28-point peace plan for Ukraine as unconstructive, saying it “did not work” for Moscow.

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Publication of the US draft last week heightened fears in Ukraine and European capitals that Washington had accepted key Russian demands on Nato, territorial issues and the sequencing of any settlement.

According to a copy seen by Reuters, the European plan significantly alters the meaning and weight of several points relating to Nato and territory.

“The European plan, at first glance… is completely unconstructive and does not work for us,” Ushakov told reporters in Moscow on Monday.

President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that US proposals could serve as the basis for resolving the conflict, but warned that Russian forces would push forward if Kyiv rejected them.

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Ushakov added that “not all, but many provisions of this (US) plan seem quite acceptable to us,” while noting that some elements would require further discussion.

Meanwhile, the Kremlin also confirmed on Wednesday that President Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, will visit Moscow next week with senior US officials for talks on a potential Ukraine peace agreement.

Trump has been pushing to secure a deal to end the conflict, now approaching its fourth year since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Details of the US-backed plan that emerged last week alarmed Ukrainian and European officials, who feared it catered to Moscow by blocking Ukraine’s Nato membership, recognising Russian control over about a fifth of Ukrainian territory and limiting the size of Ukraine’s armed forces.

However, after US and Ukrainian officials worked to narrow differences, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday that Kyiv was prepared to move forward on the US-backed framework and discuss disputed elements with Trump — talks he insisted must also include European partners.

With inputs from agencies