"Now they are just pretending": EU's top diplomat says it's important to push Russia towards real negotiations
Kyiv • UNN
Kaja Kallas stated that Russia is represented in negotiations by military personnel without a mandate for peace. She noted that the Russians are not serious about this and Russia should be pushed towards real negotiations.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said that Russia is represented at the talks by military personnel without a mandate to negotiate peace as such, so, obviously, the Russians are not serious about this, and it is important for Europeans "that we really see that we are pushing Russia towards real negotiations." She stated this on Thursday, arriving at the meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council, writes UNN.
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"Well, again, if we look at these negotiations, Russia is represented by military personnel who have no mandate to negotiate peace as such. So it is obvious that the Russians are not serious about this. And it is important for us that we really see that we are pushing Russia towards real negotiations. Now they are just pretending that they have them," said EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, answering the question of whether Europeans will be involved in the new round of US, Ukraine and Russia talks scheduled for Sunday, or will again observe from the sidelines.
"We see them intensifying their attacks on Ukraine because they cannot make progress on the battlefield, so they are attacking civilians. In October, the number of civilian targets was 93 percent. I think it is much, much higher now. So Russia is attacking hospitals, schools, government buildings, critical infrastructure, energy infrastructure to bomb and freeze Ukrainians into surrender. And we really need to be very clear about this," Kallas said.