EU foreign policy chief Kaia Kallas has warned that Europe risks falling into a “trap” that, she said, Russia is trying to create through the format and conditions of possible negotiations.
She said this before an informal meeting of EU defense ministers in Cyprus, Suspilne reports.
Kallas said that Russia is trying to influence not only the content of the negotiations, but also who should participate in them. According to her, issues related to Ukraine can only be discussed and agreed upon between Ukraine and Russia, but there are a number of decisions that directly affect European interests.
“I believe that Europe is now falling into the trap that Russia has set for us, discussing potential negotiators while the Kremlin itself is already choosing convenient candidates. Let us not allow ourselves to be deceived,” said Kallas.
She emphasized that negotiations are always a “team effort” where strategy is important, not just the format of participation, adding that “substance is much more important than form.”