European leaders, including Kaja Kallas and Jean-Noel Barrot, are urging Russia to show goodwill by agreeing to a ceasefire in Ukraine and making humanitarian gestures like returning deported Ukrainian children and releasing prisoners of war.
Europe's top diplomat Kaja Kallas urged Russia on Monday to show goodwill and agree on a ceasefire in Ukraine.
She said "giving back Ukrainian children that have been deported to Russia" and "releasing prisoners of war" were examples of gestures Russia could make to show goodwill.
Speaking before a meeting of European foreign ministers in Madrid to discuss the war in Ukraine, she also called on the United States to apply pressure on the Kremlin to put an end to the three-year-old conflict.
Meanwhile, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said Russia owed a clear response to the U.S. on whether it wants to go on a peace path at all.
U.S. President Donald Trump is becoming increasingly frustrated about the lack of movement in his efforts to broker a peace deal, after he adopted a more conciliatory stance towards Russia which was met with wariness by his European allies.
As for a deployment of peacekeeping troops in Ukraine that France and Britain have been working on, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said it was up to the Ukrainian government to decide when and if to allow foreign troops on its soil.
Read next
18:30
Defence pact
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is nearing a defence deal with the EU to reset post-Brexit ties, even as his government courts a U.S. trade deal. Talks will culminate at a May summit, aiming to boost cooperation in defence, energy, and youth mobility.
17:00
Apple and Meta have been fined €500 million and €200 million respectively by the European Union for breaching the bloc’s new Digital Markets Act, escalating tensions in the transatlantic tech trade dispute.
12:31
EU - Hungary
Hungary’s persistent attempts to undermine EU efforts in support of Ukraine have pushed member states to seriously consider invoking Article 7 of the EU treaty — the bloc’s most severe disciplinary tool, which could strip Budapest of its voting rights, The Guardian reports.
05:50
Talks in Paris between U.S. officials and European leaders have kickstarted a new diplomatic format aimed at shaping Ukraine's post-war future, with the involvement of Europe’s three most powerful countries.
20:30
Greece
Greece has submitted its long-awaited maritime spatial plan to the European Union, outlining how it will organize various maritime activities such as fishing, tourism, offshore energy, and more.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment