GENEVA, March 5. /TASS/. The European countries’ suggestions on the Ukrainian conflict are of no interest to anyone, as they contradict the course of events determined by the US, said Erich Vad, former military advisor to former German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
He believes that direct discussions between Russia and the European Union on Ukraine, as recently proposed by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, are not needed thanks to Orban’s successes during his "peace mission" in July, when he visited Moscow, Beijing, Kiev, and talked with the former and current heads of the White House.
"To put it quite bluntly, what Europe is doing is not interesting at all to all to [no one]. If we absolutely want to have our own peacekeeping forces [to observe a possible ceasefire in Ukraine], we should send them there, but they will not be able to fight. Without America, they will most likely be useless, <...> because the general scenario is different. We just need to position ourselves in a new way [in the Ukrainian conflict]," the former brigadier general noted in an interview with Die Weltwoche magazine.
The expert said that Washington's suspension of military aid to Kiev indicates the need for an immediate end to the Ukrainian conflict. According to him, the Europeans can gather all their resources and continue to support Ukraine, but the conflict "cannot be deployed in such a way that Russia is defeated." In his opinion, this "idea has always been illusory" and is as "far from military reality" as possible, as are the military goals of Europe in this conflict voiced by German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbok, including Ukraine's return to the 1991 borders.
According to Vad, it is unrealistic for the Europeans to continue the Ukrainian conflict being the only supporter of Kiev. "I think that now we must withdraw from this war and start negotiating a ceasefire, and this will happen regardless of whether we, the Europeans, want it or not," the expert concluded.
Earlier, Bloomberg news agency quoted officials as saying that British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron were preparing to present the Europe Plus group to [US President Donald] Trump, which would include countries ready to provide long-term military support to Ukraine, presumably after the conclusion of a peace deal. It said the support includes sending "peacekeeping forces" to Ukraine. At the moment, Canada is ready to join Europe Plus.
Orban's "Peace Mission"
Hungary assumed the presidency of the EU Council for six months on July 1. On July 5, Orban visited Moscow, where he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, discussed possible ways to resolve the conflict in Ukraine and start peace talks. Later, the prime minister visited Beijing, where he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Prior to his visit to Russia, Orban discussed settlement of the conflict in Ukraine with Vladimir Zelensky in Kiev on July 2.
The discussion in the capitals of Russia and China of potential peace initiatives without Brussels caused an explosion of indignation in the EU leadership. They said that Hungary undermines European unity and the course of the community towards the highest possible level of support for Ukraine.