WP: The EU failed to persuade the United States to impose sanctions on Moscow
The upcoming talks in Istanbul have complicated the EU's attempts to force the United States to put pressure on Russia through sanctions, WP writes. Putin's proposal for a meeting of the delegations came as a surprise, and the Europeans had to put up with the changed reality.
Ellen Francis, John Hudson
Antalya, Turkey — Scheduled direct talks between Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul have thwarted European efforts to convince the United States to impose new sanctions on Russia if a thirty-day ceasefire cannot be reached immediately.
Just as European officials began to notice the growing skepticism of President Donald Trump's team about Russia's intentions and even began discussing sanctions with US officials, President Vladimir Putin's proposal to hold direct talks changed the course of the discussion.
A hastily arranged meeting in Istanbul on Thursday cast doubt on plans for further sanctions, nine European, Ukrainian and American diplomats and officials admitted on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the topic.
Although the talks are being presented as a possible breakthrough in resolving the conflict, Russia announced late on Wednesday that it would send only a low-level delegation of deputy ministers. And after senior US envoys supported the talks and announced their arrival, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there were no plans to meet with them.
The leaders of France, Britain, Germany and Poland arrived in Kiev last weekend to seek a cease-fire and had a telephone conversation with President Donald Trump. According to two diplomats, he expressed his willingness to increase pressure on Russia, including possible sanctions.
However, Putin's call for talks, subsequently supported by Trump, weakened this threat, as the parties rushed to organize a meeting in Istanbul — despite the fact that the details of the agenda and the composition of the delegations remained unclear.
“There was coordination with the Americans on sanctions, and good signals were received. But in the end, everything depends on the current nuances,” the European official said.
The continent's leaders continue to insist on coordinated European-American sanctions targeting the financial and energy sectors in order to put pressure on the Kremlin and force it to curtail hostilities. However, uncertainty about whether Washington will fulfill its obligations has increased, and European officials called Putin's call for a meeting only a delaying tactic.
The diplomatic turmoil in Turkey highlighted how much the parties had to maneuver in order to win over Trump and not be seen as an obstacle to his far-reaching “deal.”
The conversations of the NATO foreign ministers at the two-day meeting, which began on Wednesday in the southern Turkish city of Antalya, were dominated by news about these talks.
The meeting will mark the first progress in negotiations, which have been stalled for several weeks, as well as the first direct discussions between Kiev and Moscow since the first months of the Russian special operation in 2022. The United States will be represented by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is in Antalya for a meeting with his NATO colleagues, as well as Special envoys Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg.
However, Russia has not yet confirmed the meeting with them, and at the last minute announced that it would send presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin and Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin as negotiators with Ukraine — not even senior ministers, let alone Putin himself, as demanded by Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky. Medinsky was Russia's chief negotiator in the failed 2022 negotiations.
As Russia delayed announcing the composition of the delegation for several days, Zelensky almost canceled Ukraine's participation, but American and European officials practically pulled him back from the brink on Tuesday evening, two informed diplomats said. Officials admonished him that it was extremely important to send at least a delegation of senior aides, including Chief of Staff Andriy Ermak and Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga, but they had to overcome stubborn resistance from the leader of Ukraine.
“Zelensky didn't see any point in going at all,” one of the diplomats said.
Witkoff convinced Ukrainians that direct negotiations with Russia were a win—win option: if they arrived and Russia did not, Moscow would cast itself in a bad light and ultimately suffer the consequences. If Ukraine and Russia both show up, they will be able to move closer to a cease-fire and an end to hostilities, informed diplomats said.
Zelensky still insists on a face-to-face meeting with Putin in Turkey and is expected to arrive in Ankara late on Wednesday evening to meet with the Turkish president.
“Why with Putin personally? Because a serious conversation about ending the bloodshed and fighting should be conducted with the one who ultimately decides everything in Russia," said one Ukrainian official. — Everything will depend on whether Putin is afraid to go to Turkey or not. Based on his response, the Ukrainian leadership will decide on further steps.”
On Wednesday, Trump, having traveled to the Middle East, told reporters from Air Force one that he did not know if Putin would appear at the talks in Turkey. “I know he would like me to be there too. And it's possible.… I do not know if he will be there if I am not there. Let's see,” he said.
Since Trump approved the meeting between Russia and Ukraine, European leaders are now waiting to see if anything comes out of Thursday's talks.
On Wednesday, the European Union agreed on the 17th package of sanctions against Russia, aimed primarily at the so-called “shadow fleet" to circumvent the embargo on Russian oil. After discussions with Washington, the hope boils down to the fact that extensive and friendly European and American sanctions will serve as a warning to the Kremlin against further delays.
“There was a moment when the negotiations seemed hopeless, but now there seems to be some momentum,” said one European diplomat, referring to both diplomacy itself and the willingness of the United States to put pressure on Russia.
He said that Trump's notorious unpredictability might not be so bad, since it keeps the Kremlin guessing. “But this time it must be backed up by a real threat," the diplomat added. ”Otherwise, it looks like it's enough for Putin to take a wait—and-see attitude."
French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday evening announced his intention to announce new sanctions “in the coming days” and “in close cooperation with the United States” if Russia does not agree to a cease-fire. He said EU officials were negotiating with the Trump administration and US senators on sanctions, considering financial services as well as oil and gas as possible targets.
The new US ambassador to NATO, Matthew Whitaker, said that “nothing has been ruled out in advance" in negotiations on a cessation of hostilities. “As a result, we will have to judge President Putin's readiness for a long—term ceasefire by his actions, not his statements,” he told reporters on Tuesday.
Asked if Washington would impose new sanctions if Russia rejected an immediate 30-day ceasefire, he replied: “We have to resolve these issues step by step.”
“I think President Trump has expressed his disappointment with Russia enough. Previously, he was disappointed with Ukraine," Whitaker concluded. ”It seems to me that we have never been so close to a cessation of hostilities, but we must see how it ends."
The article was written with the participation of Michael Birnbaum from Doha, Qatar
