The key facts

  • Stubb suggested a technical meeting of the four parties could take place within one to two weeks
  • He linked Europe's return to the negotiating table with the outcome of Witkoff's and Kushner's visit to Moscow
  • Ryabkov said that the accession of European countries could prolong the process

Expectations for the meeting and Helsinki's position

President of Finland Alexander Stubb said in an interview with CNN that a new technical-level meeting involving representatives of the United States, Russia, Ukraine and Europe could take place within one to two weeks. In his assessment, the participation of European representatives in the talks has a real chance, and a meeting of the four parties could contribute to a positive shift in the negotiation process.

Conditions and framework of the settlement

Stubb emphasized the need to wait for the results of the visit to Moscow by the special envoys of the US President, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner — in his view, there is a possibility of European representatives returning to the negotiating table. The Finnish leader tied the final decision on Europe joining the talks to the presidents of Russia and Ukraine, Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky.

Moscow's position

According to Zamon.uz, the Russian side takes a cautious view of European states joining the talks. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov stated that the accession of European countries to the trilateral talks could prolong the process and damage existing efforts. Thus, at this point Europe's participation remains a matter of discussion rather than an agreed decision: Stubb's statement describes a possible scenario, not a confirmed agreement.