The Swedish Foreign Ministry called on Europe to side with Ukraine, rather than being a mediator in negotiations with Russia.
Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard stated that Europe should increase pressure on Russia and support Ukraine, and not rush to negotiate on the Kremlin’s terms. She said this before an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers in Cyprus.
According to Stenergard, Europe should enter the negotiation process regarding the Russian-Ukrainian war not as a mediator, but with its own position and on the side of Ukraine. At the same time, in her opinion, it is necessary to create conditions under which the Kremlin will be truly interested in agreements to end the war.
“We should not rush to the negotiating table and allow Russia to set the terms. Instead, we need to increase pressure on Russia and increase support for Ukraine, and change their calculus – so that they really want to negotiate and want to negotiate peace,” she stressed.
“So we need to increase bilateral support, which will be in addition to the €90 billion loan, strengthen sanctions and ensure that Ukraine can move forward on the path to membership. That is what we need to focus on – finding the right conditions so that a just peace can be achieved,” Stenergard added.
The EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaia Kallas, has previously warned that the EU should not fall into the trap of Russia, which will promote the most convenient candidate for itself, during the discussion on a possible negotiator. Finland also expects that defining Europe’s role in the negotiation process and a specific representative will be a long process.
Sweden’s position boils down to the fact that the prerequisite for a just peace should not be a rush to negotiations, but increased sanctions pressure, support for Ukraine and its movement towards EU membership.
