A European mediator could unblock frozen negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, but it is unlikely to produce a durable peace settlement unless both sides first conclude that continued war is strategically and politically more costly than compromise, which is not currently the case. In recent days, both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky have indicated their openness to a stronger European role in future peace negotiations over the war in Ukraine. On May 9, Putin told reporters that the conflict was "coming to an end" and mentioned former German chancellor Gerhard Schroder as his preferred European interlocutor for peace talks, a proposal that most European leaders dismissed due to Schroder's close ties to Russia. Then, on May 17, Zelensky said that "we believe that Europe must participate in the negotiation" and urged European leaders to "determine who exactly will represent" the Continent. These statements come as the...
