What peace in Ukraine should look like: EU Parliament President lays out key points
Photo: Roberta Metzola, President of the European Parliament (Getty Images)
A ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine is the first and essential step toward ending the full-scale war, says European Parliament President Roberta Metsola in an interview with La Stampa.
"Peace means, above all, a ceasefire. And then an agreement - one that does not decide anything about Ukraine without Ukraine. That's very important for us. You will never find a country that allows others to decide on its territory. I believe this is the first principle of the European Union, and of our allies, including the UK and Canada," Metsola explained.
EU Parliament President also noted that Russia continues its attacks on Ukrainian territory despite efforts by the United States to engage in negotiations.
Talks between Russia and Ukraine
On May 16, Ukraine and Russia held their first direct talks in years on Turkish soil, aiming to explore options for ending the war. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy personally traveled to Türkiye for the occasion, but Vladimir Putin ignored the invitation for direct talks.
One key outcome of the dialogue was a large-scale prisoner exchange, where 1,000 Ukrainian POWs were swapped for 1,000 Russian captives. The exchange was carried out in three phases over the weekend.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has since announced that Moscow plans to declare a new round of negotiations between Kyiv and the Kremlin in the near future.
