EU says peace talks depend on Ukraine's decision

By Melike Pala

BRUSSELS (AA) - The European Union reiterated on Wednesday that any peace negotiations concerning the war in Ukraine must be decided by Kyiv itself.

"Our position is clear. We support all efforts towards peace, and what we have seen throughout is that Ukraine wants peace. Europe wants peace. US wants peace," European Commission spokesperson Anitta Hipper told a press briefing in Brussels.

"This is why we're welcoming the initiative of President Trump to achieve, finally, this goal," she added.

A planned summit between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, supposed to be held within two weeks in Budapest, is not scheduled in the immediate future, according to the White House. The decision for the meeting was taken during a phone conversation between the two leaders on Oct. 16.

While Russia has insisted on addressing the root causes of the Ukraine conflict before a ceasefire, European leaders say the current line of contact should be the starting point of negotiations. Trump also embraced the idea of pausing the conflict on the current contact line.

Hipper accused Russia of continuing to choose "the language of war," reiterating the bloc's support to Kyiv both financially and militarily.

"We can make sure that Ukraine remains strong during and after and before any ceasefire," she said, adding that the bloc is preparing its 19th sanctions package against Russia this week.

"When it comes to the negotiations, it is for Ukraine to decide, and we're fully supporting Ukraine and President Zelenskyy in this call," she stressed.

Hipper said the EU is also stepping up efforts to tackle Russia's so-called "shadow fleet" used to circumvent oil sanctions.

She said the bloc is "looking into best practices" and coordinating with member states and international partners, including the G7 Task Force, to improve monitoring and enforcement.

"We have also appointed a coordinator in this regard to support us throughout," she added.

To counter Western sanctions due to the Ukraine war, Russia is said to have developed a network of oil tankers to circumvent international sanctions and maintain global oil sales – the so-called "shadow fleet."