European Commission assesses talks on ban against strikes on energy facilities
Photo: European Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis (Getty Images)
The EU welcomes steps toward a ceasefire in Ukraine but emphasizes the need for a just and lasting peace, RBC-Ukraine reports, citing European Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis during a briefing in Kyiv.
"We certainly welcome the move towards ceasefire and towards the peace process. From the European Union (side - ed.)," Dombrovskis said.
According to the Commissioner, the EU has always stressed that what is needed is a just and lasting peace - not one that simply allows Russia to regroup and resume attacks on Ukraine or other European countries.
"There cannot be negotiations about Ukraine without Ukraine. Those are the principles which we are following as regards the peace negotiations," Dombrovskis added.
Ceasefire in Ukraine
On March 18, Trump and Putin held a conversation in which the Kremlin leader agreed to a mutual halt of strikes on energy infrastructure for 30 days. However, on the night of March 19, Russian forces struck energy facilities in the Dnipropetrovsk region.
Earlier, on March 11, the US and Ukraine had agreed on a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine, leaving Russia as the final party to respond. While Putin did not outright reject the proposal, he began speaking about certain "nuances," the meaning of which remains unclear.
Furthermore, before Trump and Putin's latest conversation, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Putin wanted to reject the US proposal for a 30-day truce with Ukraine
