Brussels, June 17 (LaPresse) – According to sources in Brussels, in recent weeks the office of European Council President Antonio Costa held “brief contacts to open channels of communication” with Moscow, but “nothing substantive was discussed”. The contacts, reported by Bloomberg, took place at the diplomatic level, while in the background Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called on Europe to play a more active role in creating the conditions to facilitate peace negotiations. In recent weeks, Costa has coordinated “closely” with European leaders “on possible engagement with Russia and on the issues to be discussed at the appropriate time”, in an effort to bring Russian President Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table. In any future scenario, the EU has “specific interests that will need to be defended, therefore it is important to have established diplomatic channels with Russia”. However, it was reiterated that the EU “is not a mediator” and “supports Ukraine in its efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace”.
Ukraine, sources: “First contacts between the EU and Moscow”
Brussels, June 17 (LaPresse) – According to sources in Brussels, in recent weeks the office of European Council President Antonio Costa held “brief contacts to open channels of communication” with Moscow, but “nothing substantive was discussed”. The contacts, reported by Bloomberg, took place at the diplomatic level, while in the background Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called on Europe to play a more active role in creating the conditions to facilitate peace negotiations. In recent weeks, Costa has coordinated “closely” with European leaders “on possible engagement with Russia and on the issues to be discussed at the appropriate time”, in an effort to bring Russian President Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table. In any future scenario, the EU has “specific interests that will need to be defended, therefore it is important to have established diplomatic channels with Russia”. However, it was reiterated that the EU “is not a mediator” and “supports Ukraine in its efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace”.
