Former European heavyweights are being mentioned as possible representatives for the EU in any future peace talks with Russia, including Angela Merkel, Mario Draghi, and Sauli Niinisto. No negotiations are currently in sight, so the idea has little immediate substance. The focus resembles earlier European planning around Ukraine that depended on unlikely scenarios, such as a reassurance force after a Trump-mediated ceasefire and a maritime initiative tied to a separate US-Israel-Iran deal. Russia continues to intensify the war, including bombardment of Kyiv with a hypersonic ballistic missile capable of carrying nuclear warheads. Hybrid conflict between Russia and Europe is also ongoing, with drone alerts prompting sheltering. Ukrainians show grounded confidence despite expecting further devastation, including potential attacks on water infrastructure.
"Angela Merkel, Mario Draghi and Sauli Niinisto, the former president of Finland, are names that have cropped up as potential envoys. While meaningless in substance, because there is no negotiation in sight, the story points to a wider truth about the Ukraine war and Europe's role."
"Europe planned, for instance, to send a reassurance force to Ukraine in the event of a Donald Trump-mediated ceasefire. A possible maritime initiative in the strait of Hormuz, should a deal be reached between the US, Israel and Iran, bringing the war there to a definitive end, is in the works. None of these plans have been implemented, because the scenarios on which they are based have not materialised."
"The war in Ukraine is raging on, as underlined by Russia's bombardment of Kyiv at the weekend, which involved its hypersonic Oreshnik ballistic missile, capable of carrying nuclear warheads. And, as Lithuanians rushing to shelters after a drone alert remind us, a wider hybrid war between Russia and Europe is already under way."
"At no point since late 2022 have I sensed such grounded confidence. Ukrainians have no illusions. They have endured another devastating winter in which Russia shattered much of their energy infrastructure, leaving millions in the freezing cold for months. They expect another horrendous winter ahead; many fear that Moscow will turn its assault to water supply infrastructure as well."
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]