Despite positive signals from Monday's summit at the White House, Luxembourg Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel cautioned that significant uncertainties still loom over the peace negotiations.
In an interview with RTL, Bettel described himself as 'cautiously optimistic' about the prospects for talks between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin. He welcomed the outcome of Monday's meeting in Washington between US President Donald Trump and Zelensky, which was strongly backed by a united European delegation.
Yet Bettel warned that major uncertainties still hang over the process. One of the most contentious issues, he said, is the choice of location for potential peace talks. Were he in Zelensky’s position, Bettel explained, he would not accept the Kremlin's proposal of Moscow as a venue. But he also dismissed Washington's suggestion of Budapest as equally unacceptable.
"Here my blood boils as Hungary is the one EU Member State that has categorically declared that they want nothing to do with Ukraine, so how can we expect Hungary to be a fair arbiter of peace talks," he asks.
For Bettel, such a proposal amounts to a slap in the face to the other 26 EU member states.
No trust in Putin and a staunch critic of Trump
Bettel also recalled his own difficult experiences with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Three years ago, in the early stages of Russia's full-scale offensive against Ukraine, Bettel often spent hours on the phone with Putin in attempts to negotiate solutions. But just three days after one such call, the massacre in Bucha took place. "There I understood what Putin's word was worth," Bettel stated.
The minister also did not hold back criticism of Trump. Reflecting on Monday’s images from the Washington meeting, Bettel remarked: "When I saw the pictures, I have to say I was a bit surprised. I felt like I was seeing a schoolteacher sitting at his desk in the Oval Office who is handing out report cards to his pupils. I suppose, this is part of the approach we need to have at the moment in order to have an American President that firmly supports Ukraine."
Still, Bettel struck a cautious note, warning that US support could not be taken for granted: “We also know that the American president usually gets the last say."
Recalling previous encounters, Bettel added that the best approach is to repeatedly express their satisfaction with him. "It's not my style, but that seems to be what works over there.”
Europe is back
For Bettel, Monday's demonstration of European unity behind Zelensky was a sign that Europe is back together. "The fact that we managed to get all these leaders, European leaders to support Zelensky together is a great success."
When it comes to Europe's means to bring an end to the war, Bettel firmly supported EU sanctions against Russia. "We can see that the Russian economy has weakened significantly, and this is putting increased political pressure on Putin domestically too."
