“There is no proposal on the table in the European Union to create the position of a Russia envoy, but even the mere circulation of such ideas behind the scenes is dangerous. Russia would use separate negotiators to play countries against one another and undermine European unity. At a time when Russia is violating all its international obligations and has shown not the slightest willingness to make concessions, what we need is not dialogue but a significant increase in pressure.
We must continue the sanctions and pressure policy put in place after the start of Russia’s full-scale aggression, one element of which has been the international isolation of Russia and Putin. This means keeping Russia and its leaders away from important decision-making tables and red carpets. As long as Russia has not changed its actions and objectives in its aggression against Ukraine, it is not possible to engage in talks with Russia, nor should we offer it a way out of isolation.
We have seen in the past how countries geographically farther from Russia begin to argue for the need to promote dialogue. We must not repeat mistakes made time and again by restoring relations when Russia has not changed course. The restoration of relations after Russia’s invasion of Georgia, as well as the good-faith negotiation and signing of the Minsk agreements, demonstrated that any ‘reset’ and dialogue are perceived by Russia as concessions and only serve to fuel its appetite. We must not allow ourselves to repeat old mistakes.
The EU already has its representatives. Europe’s strength lies in unity, not in parallel initiatives.”
Additional information:
Communication Department
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