‘Tactics to Dither and Delay’ – EU, Starmer Call on Putin to Step Up to Peace Talks
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Kremlin strongman Vladimir Putin “must pay the price for avoiding peace” ahead of a European Political Community meeting in Albania on Friday.
“Putin’s tactics to dither and delay, while continuing to kill and cause bloodshed across Ukraine, (are) intolerable,” Starmer said in a statement ahead of the summit, taking place the same day talks are expected between Ukraine and Russia in Turkey.
At the regular meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council on Thursday in Vienna, the EU put out a statement once again calling on Russia to agree to a full and unconditional ceasefire for at least 30 days.
“The European Union remains steadfast in its commitment to a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine, grounded in the principles of the UN Charter and international law and welcomes all efforts towards achieving such peace. We join Ukraine and international partners, including the United States, in calling for a full, unconditional ceasefire of at least 30 days,” the statement reads.
The EU emphasized that this pause in hostilities “could serve as a vital step toward reducing civilian suffering and allow space for meaningful talks for genuine peace aimed at ending Russia’s war of aggression and restoring a comprehensive, just and lasting peace.”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio earlier in the day told his counterparts from the Big Four of Western Europe – France, Germany, Italy and the UK – that European leadership was “critical” for getting Russia and Ukraine to talk peace in good faith.
Rubio was meeting with the other “Transatlantic Quint” foreign ministers – Jean-Noël Barrot (France), Johann Wadephul (Germany), Antonio Tajani (Italy), and David Lammy (the UK) on the sidelines of the NATO Informal Ministerial Meeting in Antalya, Turkey.
Source: Kyiv Post