EU at UN: Russia Must Agree to Ceasefire Before Any Peace Talks with Ukraine
The European Union has reaffirmed its united stance in support of Ukraine at the UN General Assembly, stressing that a full and unconditional ceasefire is the only way to create the conditions for meaningful peace negotiations with Russia.
The Gaze reports this, referring to Ukrinform.
Speaking in New York, Stavros Lambrinidis, the EU’s Permanent Representative to the UN, condemned Moscow’s “unprovoked and unjustified war of aggression,” calling it a flagrant breach of international law and the UN Charter.
He urged all UN member states to reject any ambiguity in their response and to unequivocally condemn Russia’s actions.
“Crimea, Sevastopol, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson are Ukraine. The EU firmly rejects and will never recognize the illegal so-called ‘elections’ organized by Russia in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, nor their results,” Lambrinidis said.
The envoy warned that downplaying Russia’s violations risks undermining the international order and encouraging further acts of aggression elsewhere.
“The EU believes that a full and unconditional ceasefire will best create the proper conditions for real negotiations. Now, more than ever, UN members need to increase pressure on Russia so that it stops the killings and starts meaningful negotiations,” he said.
Despite Russia’s rhetoric about peace, Lambrinidis noted, its intensified strikes across Ukraine, including a recent missile attack that damaged the EU delegation’s premises in Kyiv, reveal opposite intentions.
He also welcomed U.S. efforts to end the war and underlined that the EU is contributing to global efforts to force Russia to stop the killings and withdraw.
Ukraine, in its own address to the Assembly, insisted Russia would never achieve its objectives through war and urged the international community to escalate political, military, and economic pressure on the Kremlin.
As The Gaze previously reported, a new survey showed that 75% of Ukrainians would accept a ceasefire with Russia only if it comes with binding security guarantees from Western partners.