The European Union believes Russia is not conducting peace talks. This was stated by the EU's High Representative for Foreign Policy, Kaja Kallas, in an interview with ABC News. According to her, the EU doubts that the administration of former US President Donald Trump would represent the interests of the EU and Ukraine in these negotiations.
Redaksiya reports that, according to Kallas, it is for this reason that Europe is working on a "sustainable peace plan" that could force Russia to make concessions. This plan may include demands for Russia to return thousands of children abducted from Ukraine, as well as to limit the number of Russian armed forces at the end of the war. Kallas recalled that Russia had previously put forward a demand to limit the number of Ukrainian Armed Forces.
The high-ranking EU representative expressed "great gratitude" to the US for the bloc's diplomatic efforts. However, she added that to achieve sustainable peace, all parties involved in the negotiations, including Russians and Americans, must understand the importance of European consent. Kallas recalled that on February 4, Russians used cluster munitions in the Druzhkovka market. Seven people were killed as a result of this attack. Simultaneously, Ukrainian and Russian representatives held another round of talks in Abu Dhabi with the mediation of the United States.
"Pressure on the weaker side can always lead to faster results, but this is just declaring that there is peace. This is not sustainable peace. This will not guarantee that Russia will not attack again, for Ukraine or for others," Kallas said. The high-ranking EU representative stated that the "sustainable peace plan" will be distributed to EU member states in the coming days and could be discussed at the meeting of EU foreign ministers on February 23.
Kallas added that "The problem is not with the Ukrainian army. The problem is with the Russian army. The problem is with Russia's military spending. If they spend so much money on military goals, they will have to use them again." Furthermore, Kallas stated that the US does not need to exert more pressure on Ukraine. She noted that it was Kyiv's dependence on American support that forced it to make almost all concessions. Kallas emphasized that it would be more difficult to force Russia to make concessions for the sake of peace. She also noted that Russia has attacked at least 19 countries in the last 100 years.