Russian lawmaker Alexey Zhuravlev said European Union leadership in Brussels cannot agree to peace negotiations with Moscow because backing down would mean admitting strategic mistakes. Speaking to Russian news outlet Lenta.ru, Zhuravlev argued that European countries would gain more from cooperation with Russia than from continued hostility.
Zhuravlev, who serves as the first deputy chairman of the State Duma defense committee, claimed that governing structures within the European Union are actively blocking diplomatic progress. He stated that these governing bodies profit directly from the ongoing conflict in Ukraine through close ties with military defense contractors.
The State Duma is the elected lower house of the Russian parliament in Moscow, responsible for debating national legislation and national security policy. The defense committee oversees parliamentary oversight of military affairs and foreign security relations.
Obstacles to European Peace Talks
According to Zhuravlev, isolated voices supporting restored ties with Russia have been heard before from individual member states. He noted that such statements came primarily from Hungary and Slovakia, two Central European nations that depend heavily on Russian energy supplies for their domestic economies.
Zhuravlev argued that those regional economic concerns failed to alter the policy direction set by major European powers. He said Germany moved toward escalation despite sacrificing economic advantages that previously made it the strongest economy in the 27 nation European bloc.
Germany is the largest national economy in Europe, long reliant on industrial manufacturing and trade across the European single market. Brussels serves as the administrative center of the European Union, housing the decision making bodies that direct bloc policies.
The Russian parliamentarian said European governments will not halt financial and military assistance to Ukraine all at once because doing so would amount to an admission of strategic failure. He asserted that European policy will only shift when existing Brussels officials are replaced by leaders who are more open to cooperation with Moscow.
Diplomatic Stance in Slovakia
The remarks follow recent comments by Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar, who voiced opposition to constructing a new Iron Curtain between the European Union and Russia. Blanar emphasized that Russia will always remain an integral part of the broader European geographic space.
The Slovak diplomat urged European governments to transition to peace negotiations as quickly as possible to end the conflict in Ukraine. Slovakia and neighboring Hungary have consistently advocated for dialogue rather than economic isolation in managing European security relations.
Slovakia is a landlocked nation in Central Europe that joined both the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in 2004. The country borders western Ukraine and historically relied on Russian pipelines for supplies of crude oil and natural gas.
