MOSCOW, January 23. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump views leaders of Europe’s leading countries as an obstacle for the trilateral talks on security issues with Russia and Ukraine, a senior Russian lawmaker told TASS.

"The US president clearly sees that Europe is the only thing that hinders trilateral talks between Russia, Ukraine, and the United States from yielding any positive results," Viktor Volodatsky, first deputy chairman of the committee for the affairs of the CIS, Eurasian integration, and relations with compatriots of the Russian State Duma, or lower house of parliament, said, adding the major obstacles are French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas.

According to the lawmaker, Washington understands that it would not be easy to reach agreements if the European leaders stick to their position. So, in his words, the US side has two interlinked tasks: to make Europe more economically dependent and to change the political leadership in the countries that are determining the current EU policy on the Ukrainian issue.

He also noted that the US administration may exert pressure on Europe via energy dependence. Thus, Germany now receives more than 82% of gas from the United States. Washington will use the entire spectrum of diplomatic and economic measures against the EU leaders, Volodatsky noted.

Trump said earlier that potential agreements on Ukraine are blocked by the same issues that have been hampering the negotiating process over the past year. He did not specify however what stumbling blocks he meant.