The European heads of state or government expressed, upon their arrival in Versailles, their willingness to bring the Russian President back to the negotiating table. Talks between the Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers earlier in the day failed to produce any progress.
“We need to identify the next steps to have a ceasefire and real negotiations for a peace agreement”, explained the President of the European Council, Charles Michel. The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, said that leaders should consider how to continue to put pressure on Russia, through diplomatic action, but also through sanctions, to stop this “crazy war and stop killing civilians”.
Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said it was important to try to maintain diplomatic dialogue, but stressed that “in the end, all these problems can be solved, if Putin finally decides to end the war”.
French President Emmanuel Macron, who meets very regularly with the Russian President - he did so on 10 March with Chancellor Olaf Scholz and will do so again “in 48 hours” - explained that it was necessary to remain engaged in a dialogue to try to obtain a diplomatic solution. “In the short term, I don’t see a diplomatic solution in the next few hours or days”, he acknowledged, adding that the Europeans could influence the Russian side to compromise.
Adopt new sanctions
Latvian Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins called for “stopping Putin and his war machine”. And for that, he said, it was necessary to provide military equipment, medicines, petrol and food to Ukrainians “who are fighting for us, for democracy”.
There is also a need to do more economically. “We need to do much more to not only isolate Putin’s economy, but to cripple the economy as quickly as possible. So, with sanctions, we should go much faster, much further”, he advocated. Mr Karins said that all Russian and Belarusian banks should be excluded from Swift and that energy imports from Russia should be halted “to bring Putin to the negotiating table and stop the war”. “We need sanctions to help stop the war”, he added, warning that Europeans should do their part to help Ukraine and stop Putin.
In her speech to the leaders, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola called for limits on Russian export goods, including gas, oil and coal, and a review of all certifications granted to Russian energy companies.
The Bulgarian Prime Minister, Kiril Petkov, said an embargo on Russian gas and oil was “a very delicate issue”.
Without mentioning energy, and while Germany is heavily dependent on Russian energy, Mr Scholz recalled that the Europeans had taken into account in a very precise way what has the most impact in the relationship with Russia “to convince the Russian government to stop the war it has started against Ukraine”, while ensuring that the impact on the EU was as small as possible, adding that this was “the path we have to follow”.
Mr Macron, for his part, warned that Russia could use its gas to pressure the EU. “President Putin said earlier that Russia would continue to supply. On the basis of what? Until when? No one knows”, he explained.
Division on membership
The leaders are also expected to discuss the EU membership applications of Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova.
“We want a free and democratic Ukraine, with which to share a common destiny”, stressed European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, adding that the leaders would discuss “Ukraine as part of the European family”.
If, ahead of the EPP summit, Krisjanis Karins had asked for a clear door to EU membership, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte recalled that the ‘fast track’ procedure requested by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky “does not exist”. He explained that more needed to be done to help Ukraine immediately, whether in terms of military or sanctions against Russia, and that the accession process was a long-term thing. “Let’s focus on the short term and deepening cooperation”, he argued, while the Europeans could offer an even closer partnership to Ukraine.
“We need to send a strong signal to Ukraine at this time, but we need to be vigilant. Can we open an accession procedure with a country at war? I don’t think so. Should we close the door and say never? It would be unfair”, Mr Macron said. In his opinion, we must send a signal, but also reflect, within the framework of the European reorganisation that is being prepared, on the way in which Europe is rethinking itself geographically. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant with Mathieu Bion and Pascal Hansens)