Russia's ambitions go beyond Donbas, top EU diplomat Kallas says

The European Union's chief diplomat, Kaja Kallas, has said Russia is trying to secure at the negotiating table what it has failed to achieve on the battlefield.

Source: a statement by Kallas at the start of an informal meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Kyiv, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Kallas stressed that for peace to last, it has to be just.

Quote: "Russia has been trying to gain at the negotiation table what it has failed to win on the battlefield. But for peace to last, it has to be just. We all know that Donbas is not Russia's end game. This morning in Bucha, we were reminded of what is at stake. There is no stronger example of Russia's brutality than what happened there four years ago."

More details: Kallas also stressed the importance of accountability, which she said is essential for a lasting peace.

Quote: "Accountability is very important and central to lasting peace. That is why the European Union is advancing on setting up a special tribunal to prosecute those responsible for the war. The EU is also leading work on the claims commission so that the Ukrainian people can seek compensation for Russia's war [of] destruction."

Background:

• In recent days, the issue of Ukrainian territory has once again become central to the discussions on ending the Russo-Ukrainian war. On 25 March, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the United States' offer of security guarantees for Ukraine is conditional on the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from the unoccupied parts of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts.
• US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said this statement by Zelenskyy was a lie.
• Zelenskyy maintains that the US is prepared to provide Ukraine with security guarantees only after Ukrainian troops withdraw from Donbas.
• Zelenskyy believes that US President Donald Trump sees territorial concessions as the only way to end the war.

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