European Council President António Costa has said that the European Union’s top priority in peace negotiations on Ukraine is for Russia to cease fire. Otherwise, the EU will increase sanctions pressure.

Source: António Costa at a press conference in Lisbon following a videoconference of European Council members on 19 August, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Costa said that Russia must cease fire as the first step towards peace, otherwise it will face further sanctions.

Quote: "As a first step, Russia must immediately end the violence. Our top priority must be to stop the killings. Whether we call it a ceasefire or a truce is secondary; what matters is that we maintain pressure through sanctions if Russia does not comply.

More than ever, it is crucial to maintain strong pressure on Russia. Now is the time to accelerate our practical work to put in place a guarantee similar to NATO’s Article 5, with continued US engagement. The Coalition of the Willing should remain closely involved in this process.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces will be the first line of defence. That is why we must enhance, reinforce and unblock our military support to Ukraine. The EU is already the biggest provider of military and economic support. And we will continue to look at how we can do more."

Background:

On 15 August, US President Donald Trump and Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin held their first talks in the US state of Alaska.After that, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other European leaders met with Trump at the White House to discuss ways of diplomatically ending Russia’s aggression.

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