European leaders proposed talks with the Kremlin, highlighting a fracture on the continent over how to end Russia’s war in Ukraine.
French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, both notably Atlanticist and strongly opposed to Moscow, are behind the push.
They argue that “it is important to play at least a role” in discussions, one French official told Politico, to ensure that the EU’s own red lines aren’t crossed, though the EU itself and hawkish Eastern European capitals are opposed.
US President Donald Trump’s threats to take over Greenland have further pushed Europe to establish its own position, although the unity is, as usual, threatened by a clash between Paris and Berlin, this time over defense spending.