E3 Sidesteps EU on Ukraine Peace

France, Germany, and the United Kingdom meet Volodymyr Zelensky at Downing Street on Sunday, opening a European peace track outside the EU's formal machinery. The E3 summit avoids the bloc's foreign policy process, where unanimity among all 27 member states gives every capital a veto.

For Malta, that mechanism is not procedural detail. It is the rule that gives small states a seat when larger countries try to move first. The E3 can act faster precisely because it is working outside that structure.

On June 4, Zelensky 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 rejected 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 has moved because the American peace effort has run into a wall. The framework Trump and Putin outlined at their Anchorage summit last August required Ukraine to cede Crimea and the Donbas and renounce NATO membership. Kyiv rejected it.

After a final trilateral round in Geneva failed to shift the positions, Secretary of State Rubio 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 that coordination with Washington remains a "guiding principle". That wording matters. It suggests Germany is moving, but has not yet secured a clear American green light.

The Countries Shut Out

The speed of the E3 move has come at a cost. The countries most exposed to the result of any settlement are outside 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's 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 frustration. Estonian President Karis warned against giving Putin "any lifeline or ray of hope that aggression can pay off".

Tallinn also rejected the "associated membership" for Ukraine that Chancellor Merz proposed in May. Zelensky himself called that idea "unfair". Estonia wants full accession negotiations, not a halfway house.

What Moscow Prefers

Putin's posture at the St Petersburg forum was clear enough. He wants bilateral talks with Washington that leave Europe facing a finished deal.

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 Moscow and Washington from settling the war above Europe's head. But Putin has little reason to engage three European governments if he thinks he can wait for Trump.

The E3's own discipline is already under pressure. 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. One blocker has gone, but the larger problem remains.

The E3 can move quickly because it bypasses the unanimity rule that gives Poland, the Baltics, Malta, and every other member state a voice. The capitals left outside the room are also the ones closest to the front line.