As US President Donald Trump conducts phone calls with both Russian and Ukrainian leaders and there are positive signals in resolving the conflict, Europe cannot "sit still".
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| European foreign ministers meet in Paris, France, February 12. (Source: EPA) |
DW reported on February 12 that German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock went to Paris to meet with European partners to discuss the conflict in Ukraine.
Speaking to reporters, Ms. Annalena Baerbock said that it was important that Russian President Vladimir Putin was finally ready to negotiate and that Europe would be united in any negotiations.
Any peace deal for Ukraine can only be reached with the authorities in Kiev, according to Germany's foreign minister, while his Polish counterpart Radoslaw Sikorski called for close transatlantic cooperation to provide the best security guarantees for Europe.
For his part, French Foreign Minister Jean Noel Barrot stressed: “There will be no just and lasting peace in Ukraine without the participation of Europeans.” He stated that Europe will play a role in ensuring Ukraine’s security even if the country cannot immediately join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
According to Reuters news agency, a joint statement by the seven countries and the European Commission (EC) after the meeting of the foreign ministers stated: "Our common goal must be to put Ukraine in a position of strength. Kiev and Europe must be part of every negotiation."
"Ukraine needs to be provided with strong security guarantees. A just and lasting peace in Ukraine is a necessary condition for strong transatlantic security," the statement added, adding that European powers looked forward to discussing the way forward with US allies.
The move came after US President Donald Trump had a phone call with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, with the Kremlin leader affirming that he was ready to begin negotiations "immediately". President Trump also had a "substantive" phone call with his Ukrainian counterpart.
In a related development, on the same day, Britain said it would provide an additional military aid package worth 150 million pounds ($185.8 million) to Ukraine, including drones, tanks and air defense systems.
The British Foreign Office also issued a statement saying that the country supports President Trump's desire to end the conflict in Ukraine and that London's current priority is to put Kiev in the strongest possible position.
Source: https://baoquocte.vn/xung-dot-ukraine-chau-au-gap-gap-co-kiem-suat-tren-ban-dam-phan-giua-luc-my-di-loi-rieng-phap-khang-dinh-eu-se-che-cho-cho-kiev-304136.html
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