Callas calls for inclusion of Kyiv and the EU in work on peace plan
20 November 14:06
Ukraine and Europe must participate in any efforts to end Russia’s military aggression, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas said. Only in this case can a peace plan for Ukraine succeed, the head of European diplomacy told reporters in Brussels on Thursday, November 20, commenting on reports of new efforts by the administration of US President Donald Trump to end the war unleashed by Moscow, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports citing DW.
Speaking before a meeting of the EU Council at the level of foreign ministers, she emphasized that the EU welcomes “any efforts” to achieve “long-term peace” in Ukraine. Kallas also reminded that there is an “aggressor and a victim” in this war.
European foreign ministers on Trump’s peace plan
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski also said that Europe welcomes efforts to achieve peace. “But, of course, the security of Europe is at stake. Therefore, we expect to be consulted,” he said. Sikorsky also called for no restrictions on Ukraine’s ability to defend itself, but rather restrictions against the aggressor.
In his turn, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot emphasized that Russia and its President Vladimir Putin are the obstacles to peace. According to him, Ukrainians do not want to surrender, and Europe wants to achieve a just peace in Ukraine, which has been defending itself from a full-scale Russian invasion for four years. Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares also ruled out the possibility of implementing a peace plan for Ukraine without European participation.
Meanwhile, the head of the German Federal Chancellor’s office, Thorsten Fry, criticized the new White House proposal for a peaceful settlement in Ukraine. “It seems that Putin can achieve military goals that he failed to achieve on the battlefield. And this would certainly be an unacceptable outcome,” he said.
