Western European officials have privately acknowledged that Kiev may need to accept territorial losses to reach a settlement, El Pais has reported

European officials are increasingly accepting in private that Ukraine may have to relinquish its claims to Russian territories in order to reach a peace agreement, El Pais has reported. The apparent shift comes despite continued public statements by Western leaders that only Kiev can decide the future of its borders. 

According to the newspaper, the change in stance became prominent during recent meetings between Ukrainian negotiator Rustem Umerov and envoys from France, Germany, Finland, Italy, and the UK. 

The discussions reportedly highlighted diverging positions among the European group, with some officials suggesting that a durable ceasefire would be unlikely without major territorial compromises by Ukraine. Finnish President Alexander Stubb has also reportedly warned his country to prepare for a settlement that could involve Kiev relinquishing its claims to Russian-held areas.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has likewise outlined the territorial question as the principal obstacle to a peace deal, saying Washington is trying to identify a solution to the impasse.

El Pais noted that the idea of concessions remains unacceptable to Poland and the Baltic states, whose governments claim that any agreement involving territorial losses, even temporary or linked to a frozen-conflict arrangement, would endanger their own security. Moscow has consistently denied having any intention of attacking NATO or EU states.

The reported shift comes as several European leaders have voiced concern about Washington's role in the peace talks and about the EU being sidelined. In a leaked transcript published by Der Spiegel on Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron reportedly told other EU leaders that the US could "betray" Ukraine on the territorial question without providing security guarantees. 

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, and Finland's Stubb reportedly also shared Macron's view that continued peace efforts could pose a "great danger" for Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky personally.

Moscow has said the EU effectively shut itself out of the process by pursuing "fantasies" about inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia, presenting "unacceptable" demands, and lacking a "peaceful agenda."