EU: "No Concessions to Be Discussed Unless Russia Agrees to Ceasefire"

EU Foreign Ministers Hold Emergency Meeting Ahead of US-Russia Summit

The European Union (EU) has stated that, ahead of the upcoming summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, "unless Russia agrees to a complete and unconditional ceasefire, we must not even discuss any concessions."

Kaja Kallas EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. Photo by AFP Yonhap News

Kaja Kallas, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, issued a statement on the 11th (local time) after a virtual meeting of EU foreign ministers, saying, "It is important to maintain transatlantic unity." She added, "The sequence of steps is crucial. The first is an unconditional ceasefire, accompanied by a robust monitoring system and ironclad security guarantees."

Kallas also reaffirmed that the EU will continue to support Ukraine with whatever it needs on the battlefield. She further announced that the EU is preparing its 19th sanctions package against Russia.

The EU foreign ministers' meeting was hastily convened after the announcement of the U.S.-Russia summit scheduled for the 15th in Alaska. This was due to concerns that President Trump might unilaterally accept President Putin's demands on sensitive issues, such as the territorial matters that Ukraine has consistently rejected.

Meanwhile, according to an EU spokesperson, the foreign ministers also discussed the ongoing war in Gaza during the virtual meeting. Kallas strongly condemned the deaths of five Al Jazeera journalists, who were killed in an Israeli targeted airstrike while reporting in the Gaza Strip. She said, "We are aware of Israel's claim that the group (killed) were Hamas terrorists, but in such cases, clear evidence must be presented." She emphasized, "The EU's top priorities are humanitarian assistance?including NGO access to Gaza?an immediate ceasefire, and the release of hostages." She added, "If a military solution had been possible, the war would have ended long ago."