Europe needs special envoy for Ukraine - Stubb
Europe should have its own negotiating team for a peaceful settlement of the war in Ukraine. A special envoy for Ukraine should also be appointed separately.
President of Finland Alexander Stubb said this in an interview during his participation in the summit of the "coalition of the willing" in Paris, Censor.NET reports citing Ukrinform.
"We (Europeans - Ed.) need two things. First, we need a team of negotiators, just like the Americans, Ukrainians, and Russians have. And they had them in Riyadh in Saudi Arabia. And then, perhaps, over time, we will need a special envoy to be in charge and coordinate everything. Because right now, despite the fact that we have very good leadership from France and the UK, there is still a question: "Okay, who is the European envoy? Who should I call?" - he said.
Stubb also welcomed the Franco-British initiative to create a "Coalition of the Willing" in support of Ukraine.
"It's a way to bring Britain back to Europe and to bring France back into constructive cooperation with Britain. I think our thinking is very clear. We want Ukraine to win this war. We want them to maintain their independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. The French and the British have taken the lead. And the rest of us are following them and joining in as much as we can," the Finnish president said.
"What we are seeing is a classic Russian negotiation tactic. Ukraine wants a complete ceasefire. Europe wants a complete ceasefire. America wants a complete ceasefire, and Russia is promoting a partial ceasefire, which in the first stage concerned energy infrastructure, which, of course, the Russians bombed right after they agreed to a ceasefire. And the second stage is a ceasefire in the Black Sea. These are all steps in the right direction. But never underestimate the Russians' ability to violate the ceasefire. They will continue to do so. We need a complete ceasefire," he said.
