US assures the EU about its role in the agreement in Ukraine amid Russia's desire to lift sanctions - Bloomberg
Kyiv • UNN
The US is calling for EU participation in a peace agreement in Ukraine as Russia seeks sanctions relief. Washington assures allies of the importance of European participation.
U.S. officials have told their European counterparts that the European Union will need to be involved in any peace agreement in Ukraine, given that Russia wants to lift sanctions imposed by the bloc as part of the deal, citing sources familiar with the matter, Bloomberg reports, UNN writes.
Details
"The United States recently conveyed a message to the Europeans that the priority is to end hostilities in the conflict and discuss issues such as possible security arrangements for Ukraine after that," people said.
This interaction, the publication writes, may give some reassurance to allied countries who fear that the United States will try to make a deal without the participation of European leaders, which could weaken Ukraine or European security. So far, US President Donald Trump has largely excluded Europe from his talks with Ukraine and Russia.
President Vladimir Putin, in a phone call with Donald Trump, pledged to limit Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy assets, but refused to agree to a broader 30-day ceasefire, as the United States sought, and also demanding that the United States and other countries stop transferring weapons and intelligence. They spoke for more than 90 minutes.
Ukraine's allies have imposed a series of sanctions packages against Russia following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The restrictive measures affected both individuals close to the Russian authorities and organizations. There are also secondary sanctions that are aimed at enhancing the impact of direct sanctions by punishing third parties seeking to deal with blacklisted organizations.
U.S. officials have repeatedly told allies that sanctions will remain in place until an agreement is reached, and they are prepared to take steps to increase pressure on the Kremlin if it does not cooperate, including on energy.
After meeting with Trump last week, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte told Bloomberg TV that relations with Russia should eventually be normalized after the cessation of hostilities in Ukraine, stressing the need to continue pressure on Moscow to ensure progress in ceasefire talks.
However, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys said in an interview on Monday that it would be "harmful to even consider" resuming relations with Russia at this stage. According to him, Russia needs to make a long list of concessions before this happens, including ending the war, returning the occupied Ukrainian territory and paying reparations to Ukraine.
