The foreign ministers of the EU member states, who held an informal meeting in Warsaw today, agreed on the main principles of a peaceful settlement in Ukraine, which secure preservation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity, deny any legal recognition of the temporarily occupied territories and any attempts at “demilitarization”, and also deny the “non-aligned status” of Ukraine, reserving the country the right to choose its own path, including joining the EU.
This was stated today in Warsaw, during a press conference following the informal meeting of European ministers, by the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.
“We discussed the key peace parameters that we had already agreed previously. First – independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, no de jure recognition of the occupation and occupied territories. Then, ceasefire has to be full and unconditional, and implemented immediately. There has to be also a strong monitoring system, and it has to be clear on different elements. Then, no restriction on Ukraine’s right to self-defense, which means no ‘demilitarization’ of Ukraine,” Kallas noted.
She specifically emphasized that Ukraine needs robust security guarantees, which are necessary for any negotiated peace to be lasting. In addition, Ukraine must retain the freedom to choose its own future, which means no “neutrality.” In addition, Ukraine must remain on the path to joining the European Union.
“We also stressed that all prisoners of war have to be returned, deported children have to be returned, and detained civilians as well. And our sanctions must stay in place as long Russia pays for the damage it has caused. And no negotiations about Ukraine without Ukraine, and no negotiations about European security without Europe,” Kaja Kallas emphasized.
As reported earlier, today in Warsaw, under the auspices of the Polish Presidency of the EU, an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers in the Gymnich format took place. The first issue that the European ministers considered was the situation of Ukraine and efforts for a peaceful settlement that could be acceptable to both Ukraine and the European side.
