EU foreign policy chief: Ukraine peace plan must involve Kyiv

BRUSSELS, Nov 20 (KUNA) -- EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas said on Thursday that any peace plan concerning Ukraine must involve Kyiv and European countries, amid reports that the United States is pushing a new proposal that meets Moscow's demands.
Kallas told reporters ahead of an EU foreign ministers' meeting in Brussels that "for any plan to work, it needs Ukrainians and Europeans on board." She stressed the need to "understand that in this war, there is one aggressor and one victim," adding that "we haven't heard of any concessions on the Russian side." Commenting on recent reports that Washington and Moscow have been working on a plan to end the nearly four-year war, one that would see Kyiv ceding parts of its territory to Moscow and reducing its army to less than half, Kallas said she had no knowledge of the details and confirmed that there had been no consultation with Ukraine or European countries regarding the proposal.
"We welcome all meaningful efforts to end this war, but like we have said before it has to be just and lasting," she said, stressing that "if Russia really wanted peace it could have agreed to an unconditional ceasefire already." (end) arn.mt