Czech PM: EU failed to agree on Ukraine negotiation strategy

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš has said that European Union leaders were unable to reach a common position on potential negotiations to resolve the conflict in Ukraine during the latest European Council summit.

Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the meeting, Babiš said discussions on Ukraine exposed divisions among EU member states over both the prospect of negotiations and who should represent the bloc in any future talks with Russia, Russian media reports. 

“The main topic [on June 18] was the debate on Ukraine, which, unfortunately, confirmed that Europe is unable to agree even on whether negotiations [to resolve the war] will take place and who will lead [these] negotiations on behalf of the European Union,” Babiš said.

According to the Czech prime minister, the European Council was “completely unable to reach an agreement” on the issue.

Babiš also reiterated his view that the conflict cannot be resolved through military means alone.

“I think that this [the war in Ukraine] has no military solution,” the prime minister said.

EU leaders at the summit did not identify a potential negotiator to engage with Russia or establish the framework for any future dialogue. Instead, they reaffirmed their call for an immediate ceasefire without preconditions.

By Sabina Mammadli