Bratislava, Sep 9 (IANS) European Union (EU) leaders should have played a more active role in seeking a diplomatic solution to the conflict in Ukraine, Slovak Foreign and European Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar said in an interview with TASR TV.
Blanar said the United States is now playing a significantly greater role in the peace process, while Europe has provided substantial financial support to Ukraine.
“At present, we basically don’t have a seat at the table. We are simply paying all the costs associated with it,” Blanar said.
According to data released by the European External Action Service, since the start of the war, the EU and our member states have made available to Ukraine over 226 billion US dollars in financial, military, humanitarian, and refugee assistance, reports Xinhua news agency.
Blanar said Slovakia could find common ground with its partners in the Visegrad Four (V4), comprising the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, on the need for a more active EU role in the peace process, although the four countries have different views on how to achieve a ceasefire.
He noted that Slovakia, Hungary and the Czech Republic would not participate in guarantees for a 90 billion euro (104.5 billion US dollars) loan to Ukraine, while Poland had decided to do so. “Despite having different views, we are still able to discuss these issues together,” Blanar said.
Slovakia assumed the one-year V4 presidency on July 1 this year. According to Blanar, Slovakia is preparing for a meeting of the Slovak and Ukrainian governments, which is expected to take place in Lviv, Ukraine, but the date has not yet been decided.
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump on Tuesday held a telephone conversation that was “constructive and very frank,” Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov said.
Ushakov said the call lasted exactly one hour, adding that during the conversation, Putin stressed that Russia has no hostile intentions toward European countries.
“Against the backdrop of speculation alleging that Russia holds hostile intentions toward European states, it was emphasised that we do not harbour any aggressive plans against Europe whatsoever. The circulated myths about a Russian threat serve as a cover for European nations to ramp up support for Ukraine and increase their own military spending,” Ushakov said.
Ushakov said Trump, for his part, stressed the need to end the Ukraine conflict, a move that would immediately open broad and promising prospects for the full restoration of Russia-US relations.
The two sides agreed to continue efforts to resolve humanitarian issues, including the exchange of detained and convicted individuals.
–IANS
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