EC welcomes potential Trump-Putin meeting on ending war in Ukraine

BRUSSELS, Oct 17 (KUNA) -- The European Commission (EC) welcomed on Friday potential meeting in the Hungarian capital, Budapest, between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, if it would support efforts to end the war in Ukraine.
Commission spokesman Olof Gill told reporters at the EU headquarters in Brussels that "any meeting that brings us closer to achieving a just and lasting peace for Ukraine is welcome.
He added that "meetings do not always take place in the exact form or order we would prefer, but we live in the real world, and if such meetings help advance the peace process, we should welcome them." Gill explained that the EU's position is based on "pragmatism and support for any steps that could lead to peace," even though Russian President Vladimir Putin "is wanted by the International Criminal Court under an arrest warrant for alleged war crimes." For her part, EU foreign affairs spokeswoman Anitta Hipper said that "member states can grant exemptions to allow flights over their national airspace," adding that Putin "is subject to asset freezes under EU sanctions but is not specifically under a travel ban." It is worth noting that the phone discussion held Thursday between Presidents Trump and Putin touched on the idea of holding the meeting in Budapest at a later date to be determined.
The arrest warrant issued against Russian President Vladimir Putin relates to the "abduction of Ukrainian children" since the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine war in February 2022. (end) arn.hm