European Council President António Costa said that EU members reached an agreement with the United States to remove all provisions related to the European Union and NATO from the new plan for settling the conflict in Ukraine. He shared this in an interview with the German newspaper Handelsblatt.

Costa recalled that on 23 November, representatives of the United States, the EU and Ukraine met in Geneva for negotiations. According to him, U. S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio informed the participants that Washington had separated into a distinct track all elements of the settlement plan that directly concern Europe and NATO. The new working document prepared by the U.S. and Ukraine, Costa noted, no longer includes clauses tied to the EU or the Alliance. Washington, he added, must now discuss these ideas with Russia.

Costa emphasized that European governments reached a clear understanding with the U.S.: issues affecting the European Union must be negotiated with the EU itself. Matters of European security, he argued, should be handled within NATO, while topics such as sanctions policy, enlargement and the fate of frozen assets fall exclusively within EU jurisdiction.

He also expressed the view that relations between the EU and the U.S. have stabilized, highlighting three areas in particular: Washington’s commitment to NATO, support for Ukraine and trade cooperation.

Earlier, the U.S. administration stated that it is still finalizing its Ukraine settlement plan and is not yet ready to disclose details. The Kremlin, for its part, said that Russia remains open to negotiations and continues to participate in discussions held within the Anchorage format.