As negotiations between the Russians and Ukrainians drag on, under the aegis of the United States, in an attempt to end the fighting, this question has haunted the Europeans. Four years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, should leaders resume talks with Vladimir Putin – as Donald Trump has done – in order to find a way out of the conflict?
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky did not hide his reservations on Wednesday, February 11, following a call with French President Emmanuel Macron, the first European Union leader to open the debate in late 2025. “Recently, we often hear that Europe should have a separate dialogue with Russia. I think that today, Russia would only use that to humiliate Europe,” Zelensky said during an online interview with journalists. His French counterpart wanted to reestablish contact with the Russian leader so as not to depend solely on the Americans and their unpredictable president to defend the security interests of Europe against Russia. According to Le Monde‘s sources, a senior official from the French foreign ministry was also sent to Minsk on February 5 and 6 to explore the possibility of resuming dialogue with Belarus, Russia’s ally, which has also been ostracized by Europe.
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