European diplomat Kaia Kallas called on Russia to show goodwill and agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine. According to her, the return of Ukrainian children deported to Russia and the release of prisoners of war would be signs that Moscow is ready for peace.
Kallas made the statement before the meeting of European foreign ministers in Madrid, where the main topic was the war in Ukraine. She also called on the United States to put pressure on the Kremlin to end the three-year conflict.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot also joined the discussion, saying that Russia must clearly answer whether it is willing to seek peace at all.
At the same time, US President Donald Trump has become increasingly frustrated with the lack of progress in the negotiations. Although he has taken a more moderate tone towards Moscow, his European allies have reacted cautiously.
Regarding the possible deployment of peacekeeping forces in Ukraine, which France and Britain are working on, Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said that the decision on whether to allow foreign troops depends solely on the Ukrainian government.
She said that “the return of Ukrainian children who were deported to Russia“ and “the release of prisoners of war“ were examples of gestures that Russia could make to show goodwill.