Sandu called for increased pressure on Russia: Putin is not interested in serious negotiations
Moldovan President Maia Sandu stated that Europe and Ukraine’s other partners must increase economic pressure on Russia to force it to negotiate an end to the war.
Sandu made this statement during a speech at the GLOBSEC forum in Prague, according to Censor.NET, which cites Newsmaker.
Support for Ukraine must continue
The President of Moldova emphasized that the Russian authorities are currently not interested in serious peace negotiations, so support for Ukraine must continue.
"We need to step up economic pressure on Russia. I don’t think the Kremlin is currently interested in ending the war, and I don’t think the Kremlin and Putin are interested in serious peace talks. For that to happen, I think Europe and the rest of the world need to increase pressure on Russia," Sandu said.
She added that any support Ukraine needs must continue: "This is the only way to restore peace to our region."
Russia's hybrid war
In addition, the President of Moldova noted that European countries must be prepared to counter Russia’s hybrid warfare. Among the threats she cited were cyberattacks, information manipulation, illegal financing of political parties and election campaigns, as well as the funding of destabilization efforts.
"Russia is using a wide range of tools, and we need to take this seriously and be prepared," Sandu added.
What happened before?
- As a reminder, Volodymyr Zelenskyy previously stated that he is willing to meet with Putin, but not in Ukraine or Russia.
- Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha confirmed Ukraine's readiness for a summit between the leaders of Ukraine and Russia, with the participation of the President of Turkey and, possibly, the United States.
- Erdogan confirmed Ankara's readiness to facilitate direct talks between Ukraine and Russia, including a summit between the two countries' leaders.
- European Council President António Costa stated that EU leaders are discussing preparations for potential negotiations with Russia aimed at ending the war.
- The Kremlin stated that Putin is ready for negotiations with everyone, including the European Union.
- At the same time, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that trilateral talks between Ukraine, Russia, and the United States are not currently taking place, as they are not yielding the desired results.
