(Adnkronos) – The European Union must be a “party” in any negotiations aimed at ending Russia’s 45-month-old military occupation of Ukraine, which is also a “security barrier” for the continent, Italy said on Thursday.
“Europe will also have to play its role, not least because Europe has imposed sanctions on Russia,” Tajani told reporters on the sidelines of a Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Brussels.
To withdraw the sanctions, there must also be agreement from the EU,” he said.
Tajani played down news reports on Wednesday of a Russian-American plan that would impose harsh conditions on Ukraine in exchange for an end to the devastating war.
“When it (the alleged peace plan) is presented, we will conduct a thorough analysis. These are just journalistic rumors which are difficult to comment on,” Tajani said.
“Europe will have to be part of the negotiations, also because Ukraine also represents a security barrier for Europe. If Ukraine falls, the risks for Europe increase and this is absolutely unacceptable,” Tajani added.
“When we can finally sit around a table, we will all work to achieve peace. This is the ultimate goal,” Tajani underlined.
Italy and other nations are not at war with Russia. However, “there is an aggressor and an aggressed, we must always remember this,” Tajani stated.
“We must keep supporting Ukraine, in the hope that a ceasefire can be reached as soon as possible, after talks between the two sides,” he said.
The US-Russian plan to end the invasion of Ukraine is understood to include a demand for Ukraine to cede the rest of the Russian-occupied eastern Donbas region to Russia, halve its armed forces and slash or eliminate certain weapons, especially long-range missiles that could strike targets on Russian soil.
Kiev would also be expected to agree to cutting or halting US military aid while any future western troop deployment in Ukraine would be barred.
As part of the deal, there could be some US security guarantees for Ukraine and Europe against future Russian aggression, according to the media reports.
US officials have not yet confirmed or denied any of the reported plan’s content
