Latvia’s Prime Minister, Andris Kulbergs, said Europe must raise its expectations of what needs to be done to guarantee Ukraine’s security, The Guardian reports.
“I think we, as Europe, need to grow a bigger pair, because we are larger …in military strength and in every economic respect,” he said on the sidelines of an informal EU leaders’ summit.
“Look at where Russia is now: it is not even capable of defeating a country like Ukraine — smaller in size and population — which is showing an incredible spirit and has been resisting for a fifth year in a row,” he added.
Kulbergs urged Europe not to agree to the demands being made by Russia. “And Russia is making demands that we are supposed to accept? Sorry, but this is the aggressor that is losing on the front line! On the contrary, it is we who should raise our expectations of what needs to be done to guarantee Ukraine’s security,” the official concluded.
- The European Union plans to decide over the next week or two who will represent its interests in talks with Russia on ending the war against Ukraine. The question of Europe’s participation in the negotiating process and the candidacy of its representative are being discussed by EU leaders today at an informal summit in Dublin.
- The EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Kaja Kallas, warned the European Union against agreeing to the sequence of negotiations proposed by Russia on Ukraine. She noted that the most important thing is to stick to our agreement: first a ceasefire, then a peace deal, and only then any other talks.