**_FAZ: – Do you trust Germany to play a leading role on behalf of the European side in negotiations to end the war in Ukraine?_** **Rinkēvičs:** – I look at it pragmatically: of course, we Europeans must sit at the negotiating table when it comes to commitments that affect us. This is also in the interest of Ukrainians. But first, we must agree among ourselves on what we want to achieve in these negotiations. What are the European interests? Talking for the sake of talking is not a negotiation strategy. What should a sustainable, stable peace for Ukraine and security for the European continent look like? We need to clarify this among ourselves. Only then will we need to discuss who will negotiate on our behalf. This will not be easy, because even within the EU there are still very different views on Russia. But we have not reached that point yet, and it is not the EU's fault — it is solely Russia's fault, which simply does not want to negotiate. **_FAZ: – So, will Berlin be able to negotiate access to the European market, possibly in the E3 format, with London and Paris?_** **Rinkēvičs:** – If we, as the EU, agree on the composition of the negotiating team and a mechanism for information exchange and coordination of positions is established, that is good. However, it is not good if heads of state and government of European countries or EU representatives try to establish channels of communication with Moscow without appropriate authorization.