Now whole world has understood that there is only one side that does not want to participate in peace talks. And that is Russia - Finnish Foreign Minister Valtonen

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin does not want to participate in meaningful and serious negotiations on the peaceful end of the aggressive war against Ukraine.

According to Censor.NET, with reference to Ukrinform, Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen said this before the informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers.

"When we talk about a ceasefire, about negotiations to end the war, we have one empty chair - Putin's chair. So now, I think the whole world has realized that there is only one party that does not want to participate in serious peace talks, and this is certainly Russia," emphasized Valtonen.

She emphasized that Ukraine has repeatedly stated its readiness for a 30-day ceasefire, as well as for a peaceful settlement, "but Russia is not available for dialogue."

"Turkey has generously offered the opportunity not only to hold a meeting here in Antalya to discuss preparations for the NATO summer summit, but also a place for ceasefire negotiations. We expect an immediate ceasefire, as demanded by the European Union together with the American side last weekend," the Finnish Foreign Minister said.

According to her, since Russia does not agree to a ceasefire, the EU is currently preparing an 18-pack of sanctions and hopes that "the United States will support this course."

"I think that trying to give ultimatums does not work with Putin, because he does not respond to them. We just need to keep up the pressure, realizing that Russian aggression did not start in Ukraine and will not end in Ukraine. Our analysis, which we share in NATO, is that Russia poses a long-term strategic threat to the entire Alliance, so we must keep up the pressure until we have evidence that Russia has not only stopped the war in Ukraine but also abides by international law, which unfortunately it has not done for a long time," Valtonen said.