BBC: Europe has little chance of establishing dialogue with Putin on Ukraine

The European Union is considering the possibility of resuming engagement with the Kremlin on a Ukrainian settlement, as U.S. mediation efforts have reached an impasse.

However, according to BBC’s assessment, the chances of a real dialogue are slim.

Ukraine has called on EU authorities to help in negotiations to end the war with Russia. This issue will be one of the central topics at an informal meeting of European foreign ministers in Cyprus, which opened today and will last two days.

The format of the meeting is informal, which will allow ministers to present their countries’ positions with greater freedom than at an official summit. According to the BBC, the meeting in Cyprus will also discuss the idea of appointing a special envoy — possibly even a group of envoys — to engage with the Russian side.

At the same time, the outlet points to a fundamental obstacle to such a scenario.

“Russia accuses the EU of providing military support to Kyiv… It is therefore difficult to imagine it engaging with Europeans in any meaningful way,” the BBC writes.

The EU nonetheless seeks to ensure that any deal, if one is ever reached, would be the best possible outcome for both Ukraine and European security. Meanwhile, serious discussion of diplomatic initiatives, according to the BBC, will only take place at the level of EU leaders — possibly at their summit in June.

In parallel, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that Washington is ready to do everything possible to bring the war in Ukraine to an end. According to him, at some point the United States will once again take on the role of mediator in negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.