Germany, France and the UK are considering closer NATO-Ukraine ties to encourage Kyiv to start peace talks with Russia even as it continues to occupy Ukrainian territory. According to The Wall Street Journal, this was stated by representatives of the governments of the three countries.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak last week outlined a blueprint for an agreement that would give Ukraine much greater access to advanced military equipment, weapons and ammunition for self-defence after the end of the war. He said the plan should be on the agenda of the NATO summit in July.
A year after the start of the war, Paris and Berlin are also backing the initiative, French, German and British officials say, and all three governments see it as a way to bolster confidence in Ukraine and give the country's government an incentive to start negotiations with Russia.
French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky he needed to start considering peace talks with Moscow when the three leaders met in Paris earlier this month, newspaper sources familiar with the conversation said.
Over dinner at the Élysée Palace, Macron told Zelensky that even mortal enemies like France and Germany had made peace after World War II, sources said.
A British official told the publication that another goal of the agreement with NATO would be to change the Kremlin's calculations. If Moscow sees that the West is ready to increase its military assistance and commitments to Ukraine over time, this will help convince it that it cannot achieve its military goals.