Last week, a new round of talks between the U.S., Russia and Ukraine was held in Abu Dhabi to try to reach a negotiated end to Moscow's full-scale invasion. All parties publicly said they were productive, but no breakthrough was achieved.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the Americans proposed that a new round of talks could take place next week in Miami. Kyiv agreed to the proposal.

But Terras sees little room for progress.

"As long as Ukraine is not part of the solution, no peace can come," he told Sunday's "Ukraina stuudio

"Even if Zelenskyy or the commander of the armed forces were to decide that territory should now be given up, I do not believe that the troops who have defended the front lines so far would take a step back. I do not see any future in discussions that suggest Ukraine should give up any of its territory that it has been able to defend."

The retired general noted that U.S. President Donald Trump views the war in Ukraine as a foreign matter, blaming it on his predecessors Joe Biden and Barack Obama. "If no solution is found, he will not be very upset about it. His view is that this is something Europe should solve," Terras said.

The U.S. and Russia also announced the restoration of military contacts. Terras did not think this was cause for concern.

"It is actually a positive thing when senior military officials have some kind of direct line. There are more and more points of contact in the world where US and Russian soldiers come into contact. In all those places, we've actually seen that the US is able to dominate, whether it's in Syria, where the Russians were put in their place," the MEP said.

"It's likely a gesture from the Americans to maintain what's known as the red line. It's a Cold War era mechanism that is generally useful to both sides, so it can't really be seen as a warning sign," he added.

Fifth wheel

Terras dismissed the idea of a European envoy at the talks.

"I definitely do not see any point in discussing whether someone could be a European peace negotiator; that is like tying a fifth wheel to a cart. No one would listen to them, not the Americans on Trump's side, nor the Russians, some European without a strong message," the MEP commented.

"If someone is going to lead negotiations, they should have very credible, forceful messages for Russia, saying that if this or that does not happen, then we will do things we have not done before," he added.

Terras acknowledged that if Europe had managed to use Russia's frozen assets, Russia would take Europe's messages seriously. Then Europeans would also have a place at the negotiating table.

"What Europe needs to do is significantly increase military support, so that Ukraine can win. Winning means that Ukraine cannot be forced into terms where it has to give up territories that it currently controls. Of course, no one is talking today about retaking Crimea, Europe certainly does not have that capability. But Europe could definitely ensure that Ukrainians can speak from a position of strength. If our terms aren't acceptable, then we continue to fight," he said.

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