E3 Bypasses EU In Ukraine Talks

France, Germany and the United Kingdom will sit down with Volodymyr Zelensky in Downing Street on Sunday, opening a European peace track that runs outside the EU's own machinery. The E3 summit avoids the Union's formal foreign policy process, where all 27 governments must agree and any one capital can block the line. The price of that speed is obvious: three large governments are doing what the EU cannot do quickly.

The move came after Zelensky, on June 4, published an open letter to Putin proposing a face-to-face meeting in a neutral country, a full ceasefire and an all-for-all prisoner exchange. Putin dismissed it the next day at the St Petersburg Economic Forum, calling the letter "boorish." Within hours, the Élysée announced the London summit.

Why the US Left a Vacuum

The E3 is filling space left by the collapse of the American track. The framework Trump and Putin outlined at their Anchorage summit last August would have required Ukraine to give up Crimea and the Donbas and abandon NATO membership. Kyiv rejected it. A final trilateral round in Geneva produced nothing, and Secretary of State Rubio later acknowledged the process had "stagnated". Asked about the Zelensky-Putin exchange on June 5, Trump said: "Let them deal".

Berlin says a window for dialogue with Russia is "slowly opening", while insisting coordination with Washington remains a "guiding principle." That is careful language. It suggests Germany has not yet received a clear American green light.

The Countries Shut Out

The E3 can move because it is small. That is also the problem. The countries most exposed to the consequences are not in the room.

Poland, the EU's largest eastern member and the country with the continent's highest defence spending ratio, watched reports emerge that Germany's foreign policy adviser might seek direct contact with Putin's envoy without consulting Warsaw. Polish analysts warned of an understanding with Russia "over the heads of countries that lie between Germany and the Russian Federation."

Italy is also bristling. Foreign minister Tajani argued that it "doesn't benefit anyone to keep our country outside the leading group." Prime Minister Meloni, however, skipped even the EU-Western Balkans summit on June 5, preferring to present a commemorative stamp.

The Baltic states share Poland's unease. Estonian President Karis warned against giving Putin "any lifeline or ray of hope that aggression can pay off". Tallinn rejected the "associated membership" for Ukraine proposed by Chancellor Merz in May, which Zelensky himself called "unfair", and demanded full accession negotiations.

What Moscow Prefers

Putin's performance at the St Petersburg forum pointed to the outcome Moscow would prefer: bilateral talks with Washington, followed by a finished deal presented to Europe. He praised the Anchorage framework, demanded that Ukraine accept its terms before any meeting, and told Russian soldiers to ignore Zelensky's letter: "do your job, brothers." Russian envoy Dmitriev accused Europe of trying to "derail" the US-Russia channel.

The E3 track is meant to stop that happening. But Putin has little incentive to deal with three European governments if he thinks he can wait for Trump. The E3's own unity is already under strain: Merz's chief of staff publicly walked back the chancellor's negotiation overtures on June 5, only hours after Merz had promoted them.

Hungary's new government under Péter Magyar has lifted the vetoes that blocked Ukraine's EU accession talks and unlocked frozen European defence funds, reversing years of obstruction under Viktor Orbán. That removes one obstacle, but not the deeper tension. The E3 can act quickly because it sidesteps the unanimity rule that gives Poland, the Baltics and every other member state a say. The countries left outside the room are the ones closest to the front line.