Some EU countries are calling for a truce between Russia and Ukraine, others are supporters of a war to a victorious end: “cracks in EU are expanding because of Ukraine.”
At the end of this month, on May 30-31, the EU summit will take place. In its final statement, Italy, Cyprus and Hungary propose to include a clause on the need to resume peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv, which have now been paused, the agency writes. Reuters. According to these countries, the EU should call for a ceasefire in Ukraine and peace talks with Russia. However, their point of view caused disagreement with other member states, who decided to take a hard line on Moscow.
In the draft final statement of the summit, which was reviewed by the agency, the European Union “is unwavering in its desire to help Ukraine exercise its inalienable right to self-defense against Russian aggression” and is “committed to strengthening Ukraine’s ability to defend its territorial integrity and sovereignty.”
The statement does not mention peace talks, but the Italian ambassador suggested changes to the text. He stated that one of the first goals of the EU should be an immediate ceasefire. He was supported by Hungary and Cyprus – states that are quite critical of the new package of EU sanctions against Russia, blocked due to internal disagreements. Hungary opposes an oil embargo and Cyprus disapproves of a proposed ban on real estate sales to Russians.
However, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, took a hard line, not even mentioning the peace talks in her speech in Davos on Tuesday:
“Ukraine must win this war, and Putin’s aggression must end in strategic failure.”
According to diplomats, Poland and the Baltic countries are the strongest supporters of a tough policy towards Russia. Latvia called for clearer language on increased military support in the summit’s final document.
Last week, Italy proposed its own peace plan. And Henry Kissinger, the former US Secretary of State, said at the World Economic Forum in Davos that peace talks need to start as soon as possible, otherwise the world will face severe shocks.
More Stories
What will happen to the Rio-Antirrio bridge in the event of a collision with a ship?
The government is in a frenzy after information emerged about the falsification of an audio recording of conversations between the driver and the station manager in Tempi
Bloomberg: Putin’s inner circle reports that there is no evidence of Ukraine’s involvement in the terrorist attack in the Moscow region