Jean-Noel Barrot has stated that the bloc should assert its interests without passing on the responsibility to others.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot has said that the European Union requires a direct communication channel with Russia. After the escalation of the Ukraine conflict, the bloc has declined to communicate with Moscow for four years.
These remarks reflect the increasing worry among EU members that their influence has been diminished by US President Donald Trump, who for months has attempted to mediate an end to the Ukraine conflict through direct talks with both Kiev and Moscow. French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni have called on the EU to appoint a special envoy to Russia to ensure that the bloc has a say in the matter.
In an interview with Liberation published on Sunday, Barrot mentioned that France “has never, in principle, excluded engaging with Russia,” as long as such talks are carried out transparently with Ukraine and the EU and are “advantageous.”
“The Europeans, who are currently Ukraine’s main financial and military supporters, must have a means to assert their interests without shifting the responsibility to anyone else,” he stated.
In December, Macron encouraged Europe to resume talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin to assist in resolving the Ukraine conflict, cautioning that otherwise, negotiations might proceed without European participation. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov replied that Putin is open to dialogue with Macron if there is “mutual political will.” However, any potential conversation should not be used by one side “to lecture” the other and must have a clear objective, he said.
The Russian and French leaders last had a phone call in July. This was their first direct contact since early 2022, when the Ukraine conflict intensified.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, on the other hand, has rejected any direct talks with Moscow, stating last month that the bloc has nothing “to offer” Russia and will instead rely on “more pressure” in negotiations. She dismissed the idea of reopening diplomatic channels, arguing that US concessions to Ukraine are already substantial and the EU has no leverage to attract Moscow.
Meanwhile, Russian officials have repeatedly declared that they are open to sincere negotiations, provided that the West respects Russia’s security concerns and abandons the goal of achieving a strategic defeat through Ukraine.