EU foreign ministers met in Cyprus to discuss their main demands of Russia in any potential peace negotiations over Ukraine. Kaja Kallas warned against falling into a Russian trap by debating personalities instead of negotiation substance. She said Russia already selects who it considers suitable and that negotiations require a coordinated team approach with clear strategy. Kallas emphasized that the EU must be represented in any future talks because key issues such as lifting sanctions are European decisions. She also criticized Russia’s warnings about further strikes on Kyiv, saying the pattern aims to increase fear through terrorist attacks rather than gain battlefield ground. She argued such tactics have not worked for four years and are unlikely to work now.
"It's a trap that Russia wants us to walk into, that we discuss who talks to them, and they are already picking who is suitable, who is not. Let's not walk into that trap. Negotiations are always a team effort. You have good cops, you have bad cops, you have a strategy [on] how you go to the table, so that is why the substance is much more important."
"Kallas insisted the EU will have to be represented in any future talks anyway, as if you think about what Russia is interested in, lifting the sanctions, for example, it's a European decision."
"The former Estonian prime minister also strongly criticised Russia's repeated warnings about potential further strikes on Kyiv. This is what Russia does. Because it's not really gaining ground on the battlefield, what they are doing now is really increasing the terrorist attacks, because you can't really describe it in other ways, creating fear inside the society."
"It hasn't worked for four years, and I don't think that it's going to work now. We will hear from other ministers throughout the day, before a press conference summing up the talks in the early afternoon."
Read at www.theguardian.com
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