Talks on Ukraine must include Kyiv, Ukrainian foreign minister says

PARIS (Reuters) - Ukraine and Europe should not be excluded from future peace talks on the Ukraine war, Kyiv's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha told Le Monde newspaper in an interview released on Thursday.

European leaders were scrambling to try to get a seat at the table in Ukraine peace talks after U.S. President Donald Trump spoke directly to Russian President Vladimir Putin and announced the start of negotiations.

"Nothing can be discussed on Ukraine without Ukraine or on Europe without Europe," Sybiha said.

He said Ukrainian membership in NATO remained the cheapest way for the transatlantic alliance to guarantee the country's own security, and there should be no compromise that harmed the territorial integrity or sovereignty of Ukraine.

"We want a complete accord. It is in the interests of the United States. With the Trump leadership, with a strong European commitment and European unity, we have a chance to give fresh impetus to this process. But as far as I am aware, our American allies have not yet finalised their plans," he added.

Putin and Trump spoke by phone for more than an hour on Wednesday. Trump later announced the start of negotiations and said it was not practical for Ukraine to get NATO membership, something Kyiv has been seeking as a guarantee of its future security.

"All our allies have said the path of Ukraine towards NATO is irreversible. This prospect is in our constitution. It is in our strategic interest," Sybiha said.

Trump’s move has sent shockwaves through European capitals, which insist on a central role in peace talks as any settlement in Ukraine, hit by a full-scale Russian invasion three years ago, will have ramifications for their own security.

(Reporting by John Irish and Dominique Vidalon; editing by Timothy Heritage and Mark Heinrich)