Too early to discuss EU role in US-Russia-Ukraine talks amid uncertainty – EC
The European Commission (EC) has said that as of now it is too early to talk about the possible participation of representatives of the European Union in future talks at the level of the leaders of the United States, Russia and Ukraine, as neither the time, nor the format, nor the logistics are yet known.
"As for these possible trilateral peace talks, the timing, the format, the logistics are still to be clarified, so it is still too early to say exactly what will happen. If and when additional information becomes available, we will of course be happy to share it with you," European Commission spokeswoman Arianna Podesta said in Brussels on Thursday, adding that the EU "supports a just and lasting peace for Ukraine, and our commitments to this have not changed in any way."
She confirmed that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen did not take part in the telephone conversations, but she was informed in detail by other leaders of European Union member states, with whom Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held relevant telephone conversations. Podesta did not name the leaders, saying she "can only confirm that she has been briefed in detail by several EU leaders."
"Other leaders, as well as Commission officials, are engaged in negotiations and contacts at other levels as we speak, both with European and Ukrainian partners," the EC spokeswoman said.
Podesta stressed that as of today, "there has been no request and no decision on the format." "We have already said that the format, the timing, the logistics are completely unclear at this stage. They are still being discussed," she reiterated.
Commenting directly on the negotiations that took place on Wednesday in the Kremlin between Vladimir Putin and US President's representative Stephen Witkoff, Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Anita Hipper once again reiterated her already well-known position at the request of journalists: "First of all, no one wants peace more than Ukraine and the EU. It is quite obvious that Russia is not interested in any peace as such, because we have seen this in their actions, not in words. In view of this, of course, we welcome any pressure when it comes to ensuring Russia's presence at the negotiating table. We welcome any work aimed at achieving a sustainable ceasefire. For our part, the EU supports Ukraine throughout the process. We also work with all our international partners to ensure that Ukraine is as strong as possible on the battlefield so that it can be as strong at the negotiating table as possible."
