EU's top diplomat says that for peace, Russia's army should be limited, not Ukraine's
The EU's top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, urged Western leaders on Wednesday not to fall into the trap of discussing limitations on Ukraine's armed forces during peace negotiations with Russia.
Source: European Pravda, citing Euractiv
Details: Kallas' comments came as the United States intensified its efforts to secure a "peace deal" on Ukraine, proposing a plan containing over two dozen points.
The initial version of the plan envisaged capping the size of Ukraine's Armed Forces at 600,000 troops.
Asked whether Russia or Ukraine should limit the size of their armies, Kallas said: "If we want to prevent this war to continue, then actually we should curb the army of Russia and also their military budget."
She noted that the current "peace initiatives" mostly demand concessions from Kyiv and not Moscow, adding that the Kremlin's rapidly increasing military spending poses "a threat to all of us".
"We have always said that it's a sovereign right for every country to decide the size of the military, and that's why we shouldn't walk into that trap that Russia is setting, talking about capping [the] Ukrainian army," the EU's chief diplomat stressed.
Background:
- On 25 November, Trump stated that he has tasked Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll with finalising the terms of a proposed "peace agreement" between Russia and Ukraine.Witkoff is expected to travel to Moscow, and if talks reach the final stage, Trump plans to meet Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
- Trump believes Russia's biggest concession would be agreeing to stop fighting and not seize additional territory.
- According to CNN, Ukraine and the US still disagree on three points of the proposed "peace agreement", including a demand that would see Ukraine withdraw without a fight from the part of Donetsk Oblast that is not currently occupied.
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