Europe tells Russia: Our security architecture is for us to decide

Europe's leaders have told Russia that the future of the continent's security architecture cannot be decided without Europeans at the table, following a round of peace talks in which Moscow's delegation rejected a multilateral format.Russia has put the issue of security architecture at the very top of its priorities, triggering pushback from Europeans, who believe this is a ploy to divert attention from the war in Ukraine and advance its longstanding ambition to reassert itself as a great power."At the end of the day, we will be the ones to define and decide for our future security as Europeans. I have no doubt about that," French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday at the start of a leaders' summit in Dublin, Ireland."Europe must first be clear about what it wants. Currently, Europe is very clear regarding its support for Ukraine. Now, we must articulate a concrete vision for our peace plan and for the future security architecture."Echoing Macron's point, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz urged Russia to engage face-to-face with European representatives, something that Moscow has yet to consent to.The last round of talks in Abu Dhabi featured senior officials from France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, the European Commission, the European Council and NATO. But none of them interacted with the Russian team."Ukraine must sit at the table.