The EU is not yet ready to discuss a resolution to the war in Ukraine with Russia, says Koshta
European Council President António Costa stated that in the future, the European Union may have to discuss security issues and the resolution of the war in Ukraine with Russia, but the time for that has not yet come. First and foremost, the EU must continue to ramp up pressure on Moscow.
European Council President António Costa made these remarks in an interview with EFE.
“Right now, we must avoid derailing the efforts led by President Trump aimed at achieving a just and lasting peace in Ukraine,” Costa said in an interview with EFE, commenting on Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever’s call to normalize relations with Moscow in order to secure EU access to cheaper energy sources.
According to him, the 27 EU member states “must be prepared” if the dialogue on ending the war, led by U.S. President Donald Trump, does not yield the desired results.
“At present, our main contribution lies in increasing economic pressure on Russia and continuing to support Ukraine by all means. But, of course, there may come a time when we will have to supplement President Trump’s efforts and make our own efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace in Ukraine,” Koshta noted.
At the same time, the President of the European Council emphasized that De Wever’s proposal is not expected to be considered at the summit of European leaders in Brussels.
“The EU’s strategy is clear: to decouple from Russian energy. There is no question of negotiating energy prices with Russia,” Koshta emphasized.
The European Union has begun to factor in the unpredictability of the United States a year after Donald Trump’s return to the White House.
Prior to this, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaia Kallas commended France, Belgium, and Sweden for their actions in combating Russia’s “shadow fleet.” She noted these countries’ efforts to detain vessels belonging to a network of tankers used to circumvent sanctions.
The European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Kaja Kallas, stated that EU countries are not interested in concluding new energy agreements with Russia. According to her, policy toward Moscow is being discussed in closed-door meetings in Brussels, but no new agreements in the energy sector are planned at this time.
