The President of the European Council, António Costa, believes that the European Union "will have to negotiate with Russia on security" and peace in Ukraine in the future, although he added that this moment has not yet come and the bloc must continue to pressure Moscow and support Kyiv. This is reported by EFE, writes UNN.
Details
In an interview with the European consortium of news agencies ENR, of which EFE is a part, Costa stated that the 27 countries "must be ready" in case the dialogue on ending the war, led by US President Donald Trump, does not yield the desired results.
António Costa noted that for now, efforts led by President Trump to achieve a just and lasting peace in Ukraine should not be interrupted, commenting on Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever's call to normalize relations with Moscow for cheaper energy for the EU.
There may come a time when President Trump decides not to continue or support his efforts, or, unfortunately, they fail. Then we will have to be ready to continue these efforts and try to achieve a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.
At this moment, the main contribution of the EU is to increase economic pressure on Russia and continue to support Ukraine by all available means. At the same time, Costa emphasized that a moment may come when Europe will have to independently replace President Trump's efforts and take its own steps to achieve a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.
Normalization of relations with Moscow is not being considered
Costa does not expect De Wever's proposal, made in an interview with the Belgian newspaper "L'Echo" last weekend, to be discussed at the EU leaders' summit in Brussels on Thursday. De Wever stated that "reaching an agreement" with Moscow is the most realistic option for the EU due to insufficient military support for Kyiv and the ineffectiveness of economic sanctions, as well as to obtain cheaper energy.
The European Union's strategy is clear: to disconnect from Russian energy. It is not about negotiating with Russia on the price of energy.
The President of the European Council reminded that there is an exception to the ban on the import of Russian oil and gas for Hungary and Slovakia, whose supplies through the "Druzhba" pipeline were interrupted due to the war.
US decision to ease sanctions on Russian oil raises great concern - Costa13.03.26, 16:45