Britain, France and Germany are reportedly discussing plans to hold joint peace talks with Kiev and Moscow in a bid to end the war in Ukraine. The reports, first published by Bloomberg, suggest the three European powers see that Ukraine currently has the momentum and are trying to capitalise on that.
The initiative comes as the UK and Europe have grown frustrated with the peace process led by the Trump administration. European capitals felt their interests and the interests of Ukraine were being sidelined as Washington focused on other priorities.
With the United States now solely focused on events in the Middle East, peace talks between Russia and Ukraine have completely frozen and stalled. Europe appears to be trying to take matters into its own hands, sensing some weakness from Vladimir Putin.
Sky News correspondent Ivor Bennett, reporting from St. Petersburg, said Putin has dropped hints recently that he is open to talking with Europe. However, any talks would still be very much on Putin's terms.
Putin recently suggested the name of former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder as a potential mediator. Schroeder is a known close Putin ally, and for Europe, his involvement would be a non-starter.
Putin is reportedly still hoping that Donald Trump would re-engage with the peace process, as that represents the best possible outcome for Russia, potentially unlocking billions of dollars of American investment.
Interestingly, a US official is attending Putin's St. Petersburg Economic Forum for the first time since 2018. Rodney Mims Cook Junior, Trump's Fine Arts Commissioner, is present at the event, suggesting that channels between the White House and the Kremlin remain open despite the focus on the Middle East.