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Even if Europe does not participate in the first round of negotiations on ending the war between Russia and Ukraine, it must still be involved due to the need to determine the role of European peacekeepers.
EU Ambassador to Ukraine Katarína Mathernova stated this on Ukrainian television, according to Ukrinform.
She noted that while Europe might not be present at the initial stage of the negotiations, ensuring a lasting and just peace would require a clear definition of the role of European peacekeepers in terms of security guarantees. According to her, this issue would need to be discussed.
In this context, Mathernova stressed that the European Union, as a collective of states, does not always act quickly or demonstrate decisiveness immediately. She acknowledged that reaching conclusions sometimes takes time but emphasized that the EU possesses significant collective strength. She also added that although the EU might seem somewhat unexciting, it remains Ukraine’s most reliable partner. Given this, she expressed hope that Europe would eventually define the role of its peacekeepers and said that the EU must be part of the negotiations.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio earlier stressed that Ukraine and Europe would be involved in any real negotiations to end the war between Russia and Ukraine.
Meanwhile, on February 15, U.S. Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg stated that Europe’s efforts to ensure a peaceful process under the Minsk Agreements had failed. Therefore, he suggested that the United States is unlikely to involve European countries directly in the peace process in Ukraine.
Read also: China hopes for fair peace agreement on Ukraine – Wang Yi
