European Leaders Tell Russia: Europe Itself Will Determine the Continent's Security Architecture

Russia has made the revision of European security architecture one of its main priorities. European politicians, however, see this as an attempt to divert attention from the war in Ukraine and to realize Moscow's long-standing aspirations to re-establish its status as a great power.

French President Emmanuel Macron, opening the leaders' summit in Dublin on November 12, stated that Europeans themselves would determine what their future security would look like. According to him, Europe first needs to formulate its own vision for a peace plan and future security system. The position regarding support for Ukraine, as Macron noted, is already sufficiently clear.

German Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz called on Russia to begin a direct dialogue with European representatives. He stressed that Ukraine, European countries, the USA, and Russia should be at the negotiating table.

The latest round of talks in Abu Dhabi involved high-ranking representatives from France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, the European Commission, the European Council, and NATO. However, none of them contacted the Russian delegation.

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas stated that the diplomatic process must have a certain sequence: first, a ceasefire in Ukraine must be achieved, then peace settlement should be pursued, and only in the final stage should the architecture of European security be discussed.

Kallas also recalled that such a system already exists and is based, in particular, on the Helsinki Accords of 1975, the Paris Charter of 1990, and the Budapest Memorandum of 1994. According to her, the problem is that Russia does not comply with these agreements.

Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal called the resumption of discussions about security architecture a "trap" that Moscow uses to achieve the impossible. Among such goals, he mentioned NATO's return to its former borders. This was one of Vladimir Putin's strategic demands on the eve of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

At that time, the Kremlin issued an ultimatum to NATO, demanding an end to eastward expansion and the withdrawal of troops from the territories of countries that joined the alliance after 1997. These demands were rejected. A few months later, two traditionally neutral countries – Finland and Sweden – applied to join NATO.

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda emphasized that negotiations must proceed on fair terms and with the participation of Europeans. According to him, discussions should not be allowed behind Ukraine's back, and issues concerning Europe's future security architecture must be considered with the participation of the European Union.

The joint reaction of European leaders came the day after the statement by the head of the Russian delegation at the talks, Vladimir Medinsky. He again confirmed that Moscow wants to go beyond merely the "Ukrainian question" and discuss the security system on a broader scale.

Medinsky compared the war in Ukraine to a disease affecting the entire organism, stating that Ukraine is only where the problem manifested itself, so the entire organism must be treated, not just a "band-aid" applied. He refused to engage in dialogue with Europeans, citing their military and financial support for Ukraine. However, this does not mean a complete absence of contacts: last month, Putin held a 90-minute phone conversation with the leaders of Finland and Norway.

Attention to the issue of security architecture was amplified by US President Donald Trump and his special envoy Jared Kushner. They recently published a lengthy text on social media outlining the principles of a post-war model, which caused concern in Europe.

During his stay in Abu Dhabi, Kushner asked the Russian side to prepare proposals that could be discussed in a private meeting with Europeans. After this, he traveled to Moscow to secure Putin's consent for a transition to a multilateral negotiation format.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called such an approach "a bit strange" and advised Europeans to treat it very carefully.

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