Kallas says before talking to Russia, EU must agree on what exactly to talk about
High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas says that regarding possible EU negotiations with Russia concerning peace for Ukraine, the member states must first determine exactly what the conversation should be about.
She stated this on Friday in Chisinau during a joint press conference with President of Moldova Maia Sandu, responding to journalists’ questions regarding information about possible EU-Russia negotiations on peace for Ukraine.
"We see that the ongoing peace negotiations (with U.S. participation) are actually leading nowhere. And we see that all requests (meaning demands) are being sent to the Ukrainian side, while none are sent to the Russian side. Therefore, before we talk to the Russians, we also need to agree on what we want to talk to them about," Kallas explained.
According to the High Representative, this is why she "already suggested to the foreign ministers a list of things we need to see from the Russian side as well, because there are also requests to Europe, for example, the lifting of sanctions." "And that is exactly why we are discussing this with the foreign ministers at the end of May. Regarding Moldova, I think the withdrawal of Russian troops from Transnistria should also be one of the EU’s requests," she added, without specifying whether the withdrawal of Russian troops from Transnistria should be on the list of EU requests to Russia regarding peace for Ukraine.