US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has promised bloc members that they will be involved in the negotiations, according to Antonio Tajani
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has told EU members that they will inevitably be involved in negotiations on a peace deal to resolve the Ukraine conflict, according to Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani.
Following Tuesday’s meeting between Russian and American delegations in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the US State Department reported that Rubio had contacted his French, British, Italian, and German counterparts to brief them on what was discussed during his talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
On Wednesday, Reuters reported that Tajani had disclosed some of the details of what Rubio had told his European counterparts, stating that “Rubio’s words were very clear” in that “Europe will be involved in the negotiations.”
Tajani added that this inclusion will be made for a very “clear reason: we have imposed sanctions on Russia, sanctions that are in place, and there can be no negotiations if the issue of sanctions is not at the table and around the table those who decided and applied them.”
While both Washington and Brussels have introduced sweeping sanctions on Moscow following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, the US under President Donald Trump has hinted that the restrictions could be lifted as part of a peace deal.
Following Tuesday’s talks in Riyadh, Rubio also stated that the US and its allies would have to address the sanctions imposed on Russia in order to achieve an “enduring, sustainable” solution to the Ukraine conflict.
However, a number of EU officials have dismissed the notion of easing restrictions on Moscow, with the bloc instead approving yet another sanctions package against Russia on Wednesday, according to media reports. While the details of what is now the 16th package have yet to be finalized, it is said to target more vessels shipping Russian crude oil, a dozen more banks, and include an import ban on certain types of Russian aluminum products.
Following the Russia-US talks, EU Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis also stated that the bloc has no plans to lift any restrictions against Russia even if the US decides to do so, and stressed that Brussels will pursue its own sanctions policy.
Moscow has repeatedly denounced Western sanctions as illegal, and has pointed out that they have ultimately failed to isolate Russia from the global financial system or destabilize its economy.
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