Blanar Hopes EU Will Take Part in Ukrainian Peace Process as Partner

Nicosia/Bratislava, 29 May (TASR) - Foreign and European Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar on Thursday described as questionable and even astonishing the remark made by EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas that the European Union cannot act as a mediator in Russian-Ukrainian talks because it supports Kiev. According to Blanar, if such an approach were applied to any conflict, mediation would not be possible. The Slovak minister stated this in a video posted on Facebook after an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers in Cyprus. Kallas told journalists that the EU clearly wants to help Ukraine in negotiations. However, she underlined that Europe can never be a neutral mediator between Moscow and Kiev because it stands on Ukraine's side while also defending its own security interests. "And I ask myself, have the United States not stood on Ukraine's side from the very beginning? Or does it still not stand there?" said Blanar, referring to the PURL initiative. "The United States is today supplying significant weapons to Ukraine, with the difference that it's no longer paying for them." Blanar added that the United States is also helping Ukraine by providing Starlink internet services, without which, he said, Ukraine would not be able to conduct combat operations against Russia. In Blanar's view, the European Union has through its own actions found itself at a dead end regarding participation in negotiations on ending the war in Ukraine. "We aren't at the table at all, but we are fully financing the entire process," he said. The Russian-Ukrainian conflict can only be resolved through dialogue, said Blanar. "But the European Union isn't capable of conducting that dialogue because it isn't at the table," he added. The Slovak foreign minister also expressed confidence that the European Union will seek involvement in the peace process as a significant partner. According to him, it's very important for the bloc that the war in Ukraine should end as soon as possible. "If this drags on, it will not only have major consequences for Ukraine itself, which is paying the highest price for this war — whether it is in the lives of soldiers and civilians, destroyed infrastructure, population decline or mass migration — this is also having a huge economic impact on the European Union, on its competitiveness and on its future security as such," he said. mf/df