Next peace summit should be with Russia, but not on Putin's terms - Borrell
Head of EU Diplomacy Josep Borrell (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine collage)
The next peace summit should be held with the participation of Russia, but on the basis of international law, not the conditions set by Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, according to EU diplomat Josep Borrell.
This was his answer to the question of whether he considers it possible to convene the next peace conference this fall, and under what conditions the aggressor country of the Russian Federation could be included in this meeting.
The diplomat is convinced that President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy will continue to look for ways to hold the next peace conference with the participation of the Russian Federation. He emphasized that it was said earlier that the next step requires the involvement of Russia. However, the negotiations should take place on a certain basis, and we are not talking about Putin's basis.
"But how should one perceive what President Putin said during Prime Minister Orban's visit to Moscow? Look - these are the preconditions put forward by Putin. Yes, of course, we should hope for peace through diplomatic negotiations, but on a certain basis. And this is not Putin's basis," Borrell said at a press conference in Brussels following the EU Ministerial Council.
He said that during a conversation with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, European officials discussed the next steps after the peace summit in Switzerland. They agreed that more should be done to attract the widest possible presence of partners from around the world.
Borrell added that in order to counter Russian propaganda, it is necessary to explain to everyone in the world what exactly is happening in Ukraine, that it is Russia that is attacking the Ukrainian state, and that Ukraine is defending itself and is being helped in its self-defense.
Also, according to the head of EU diplomacy, the EU's position remains unchanged - President Zelenskyy's Peace Formula is the only peace plan supported by the European bloc.
What else did Borrell say?
The EU chief of diplomacy said that Ukraine will receive the first €1.4 billion from Russia's frozen assets in early August. The funds will be used to purchase priority military equipment.
Borrell also said that EU foreign ministers would discuss how to respond to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's visit to Russia and China, as well as Hungary's stance on the EU's role in Ukraine.
