EU will never be a neutral mediator between Ukraine and Russia: Kallas

The European Union will not seek to mediate between Ukraine and Russia nor attempt to replace the United States in the peace process, High Representative Kaja Kallas has said amid an ongoing debate on whether the bloc should appoint a special envoy.

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The hot-button issue, which has sharply divided member states and fuelled intense speculation about potential candidates, was top of the agenda during an informal meeting of foreign affairs ministers on Thursday in Lemesos, Cyprus.

“One thing is very clear: Europe will never be a neutral mediator between Russia and Ukraine, because we are on Ukraine’s side and we are defending our own security interests,” Kallas said at the end of the gathering.

“We can’t be neutral, treating them equally, because we have been clearly on Ukraine’s side,

Ukraine, she argued, needs the EU to rebalance the negotiations and extract concessions from the Russian side.

The US-led process has been frozen since the start of the conflict in the Middle East, which has completely absorbed the White House’s diplomatic energy and left Ukraine on the sidelines. The stagnation, however, does not mean the EU will simply step into the US’s shoes.

“All our efforts have to be complementary to US efforts. And the ministers were also very clear about this,” Kallas explained.

“We are not coming in instead of the United States, but we are actually addressing the issues that they haven’t been addressing in these talks.”

Kyiv has grown increasingly frustrated with the stalemate in the negotiations and has publicly called on Europeans to adopt a hands-on approach.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Shyiiba, who flew to Cyprus for the meeting, said the EU should focus on “precise, doable steps”, such as the demilitarisation of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant and the establishment of humanitarian corridors.

“We do not need to start by choosing a person or a group to lead the effort,” he said. “We need to clarify the mandate, and it must represent one united European voice.”

Amid the exasperation, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested the peace process might soon restart after weeks of inactivity.

“The US stands ready and prepared to help do whatever we can to help facilitate the end of this war, and hopefully the opportunity will present itself at some point,” Rubio said.

Concessions and red lines

Thursday’s gathering in Cyprus significantly toned down the buzz over the prospect of appointing a special EU envoy to engage in direct talks with Russia.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb, European Council President António Costa, former Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi and former German Chancellor Angela Merkel are among those who have been suggested for the high-risk job.

Instead, Kallas said, the EU should focus on articulating a common position that lays out the concessions that Russia should make at the negotiating table, the conditions that should be met and the red lines that should not be crossed.

These would include the non-recognition of Russian-occupied territories; the cessation of sabotage operations, cyberattacks, election interference and airspace violations; the payment of reparations; the return of abducted Ukrainian children; the release of journalists; and the withdrawal of Russian troops from Georgia and Moldova.

Limitations on Russia’s ability to rearm should also be considered, Kallas said, particularly if the peace deal caps the size of the Ukrainian army, as previous drafts hinted at.

The High Representative has compiled the concessions in a confidential document that has been under discussion since February and continues to be updated. It is unclear if the 27 member states will ever endorse the document unanimously.

Looming over the conversation is a relentless Russian bombardment of civilian areas of Ukraine. Last weekend, Russia launched a large-scale attack on Kyiv, destroying residential buildings, supermarkets, energy facilities and even the Chornobyl Museum.

The deadly assault was followed by a warning from the Kremlin that foreign citizens, diplomats and international organisations should leave Kyiv “as soon as possible”.

EU countries issued summons in protest of what they perceived as intimidation.

“The dynamics of the war are shifting in Ukraine’s favour. Russia is on the back foot militarily, economically but also diplomatically. But as the latest strikes on Kyiv have shown, Russia still shows no genuine interest in peace,” Kallas said.

“Moscow’s direct threat to kill foreign diplomats in Kyiv is a public announcement of a war crime.”