EU says Russia ‘not serious’ about peace talks in Abu Dhabi

Russia is not taking the peace talks in Abu Dhabi seriously, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, said, according to European Pravda.

“If we look at these talks, and who is representing Russia is the military personnel who do not have any mandate to agree on the peace as such. So clearly Russians are not serious about this,” Kallas said.

She added that, alongside the talks, Russia continues to carry out heavy attacks on Ukraine. “[The Russians] are bombing Ukrainians, trying to bomb and freeze them to surrender.” 

Kallas also noted that the EU is discussing further energy support for Ukraine as the country faces a harsh winter and growing humanitarian risks.

“That’s why we are also discussing the energy support that we can give them. Because it’s a very hard winter and the Ukrainians are really suffering, there’s a humanitarian catastrophe coming there,” she said.

Kallas said that Moscow is “just pretending” to conduct peace negotiations.

The first round of peace talks in Abu Dhabi, involving the U.S., Ukraine, and Russia, took place on Jan. 23-24. A second round is scheduled for Feb. 1, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.