Belgian prime minister Bart De Wever believes the European Union must have a seat at the table whenever peace negotiations with Russia touch on matters of EU interest. He made that clear following the first day of the European summit in Brussels.
Like many of his counterparts, De Wever noted that Russian president Vladimir Putin shows no sign of wanting to engage in serious talks on a "sustainable" and "acceptable" resolution to the war in Ukraine. Even so, leaders exchanged views on Thursday evening on how such negotiations should proceed.
De Wever stressed that only a representative of the EU institutions, and in particular European Council president Antonio Costa, can negotiate on matters on the bloc's behalf. "There is no consensus, quite the opposite in fact, on sending someone else to Moscow to speak on behalf of the EU," he said.
Economic and financial sanctions against Russia, including the frozen assets of the Russian central bank, were imposed within the EU framework, he noted. Security guarantees for Ukraine, however, are a matter for national governments. In those talks, De Wever considers it "not a bad approach" to have the coalition of willing countries represented by France, Germany and the UK.
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\n belganewsagency.eu \n The prime minister met with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday morning before the summit began. According to De Wever, Zelensky also wants Europeans at the negotiating table to defend European interests. "That strengthens his position," he said.
EU leaders rounded off the first day of the summit with a discussion on how to address the large trade deficit with China, which is accused of fuelling overproduction through massive state subsidies and flooding the European market with cheap goods.
They stressed the need for "constructive dialogue" while calling on the Commission to "expand its arsenal of tools" to defend trade interests, according to a diplomatic source. At the same time, leaders acknowledged that the EU itself must strengthen its economic competitiveness and continue diversifying its trade relations.
Leaders begin the second and final day of the summit at 9:30 on Friday with a debate on the EU's new multi-annual budget for the period 2028-2034.
Belgian prime minister Bart De Wever and European Council president Antonio Costa © PHOTO JOHN THYS / AFP
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