Lukashenko urges Macron to lead EU-Russia dialogue on Ukraine conflict

On 29 May 2026, Belarus’s Lukashenko urged Macron to lead an EU-Russia dialogue on the Ukraine conflict, suggesting Macron call Putin to set up a “man-to-man” talk in Minsk. The Kremlin spokesman Peskov said Europe cannot act as a mediator in Ukraine, and Moscow said the EU cannot be a neutral mediator in peace negotiations. Kallas said the EU will never be a neutral mediator and warned against a Russian mediator “trap.” The EU is not yet planning a chief negotiator for Ukraine-Russia peace talks. Putin said his remark on the Ukraine war coming to an end was based on battlefield advances.

Russia also pulled its envoy from Armenia days before Armenia’s elections. Peskov said Armenia will inevitably face problems in the EAEU as it moves closer to the EU, and the Kremlin published a statement by four EAEU leaders on Armenia. Putin compared the situation in Armenia to the start of the Ukraine crisis.