Blanar: EU Consensus on Support for Russia-Ukraine Peace Talks (2)

Bratislava/Brussels, 21 May (TASR) - The foreign ministers of EU-member states agreed at Tuesday's (May 20) summit in Brussels to support peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, said Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) after the session. TASR learnt the news from the ministry's press department on Wednesday. According to Blanar, further direct talks could be held at the Vatican or in Switzerland. "Despite the fact that the highest representatives of the Russian Federation and Ukraine did not participate in the peace talks [in Istanbul - ed.note], it is important, as confirmed by Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha, that the negotiations will continue," stated Blanar. On Tuesday, EU-member states formally confirmed the adoption of a 17th sanctions package against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. Its most important part includes measures against the so-called Russian shadow fleet. Blanar emphasised that Slovakia supports such decisions only if the sanctions don't harm Slovakia, its economy or the living standards of its people. However, according to the ministry, the Slovak government insists that the sanctions are not producing the desired results. Blanar claimed that their very number — 17 — proves this. "It shows that the sanctions have not helped to stop the fighting. Sanctions are not resolving the problem; on the contrary, what can help are concrete negotiations, such as those initiated by the administration of Donald Trump. It is the only US administration that had the courage to launch peace talks," the minister stressed. According to him, Slovakia and other EU-member states support the peace initiatives of the US president. Following the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting, Blanar also reiterated the Slovak government's stance on the European Commission's REPowerEU proposal, which aims to end dependence on Russian fossil fuels. Bratislava has reservations about the plan to sever ties with all Russian energy sources, as Slovakia, being a landlocked country, would be the most affected, argued Blanar. Slovak diplomacy will therefore actively participate in discussions on this Commission proposal. Blanar believes that dependence on Russia would be replaced by dependence on another country as a result of the EU's actions. "Europe’s competitiveness will decline. Major powers like the United States and China will always defend their own interests. Once a ceasefire and peace in Ukraine are finally achieved, it will be necessary to normalise relations with the Russian Federation, not completely cut ties, as that would have negative consequences for the entire EU economy, including Slovakia," he remarked. EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kosova also presented Ukraine's level of preparedness in its EU-accession process at the meeting. Blanar affirmed Slovakia's support under the condition that the same rules apply to all candidate countries, which must meet the same criteria. "We support Ukraine’s European integration efforts because we believe that through the accession process, our eastern neighbor can address internal challenges such as fighting corruption, rule of law issues and judicial reform, which Commissioner Kosova also presented in detail," he added. mf/df