Important to remind U.S. who aggressor is in war – Belgium’s Prévot
This was stated in a comment to an Ukrinform correspondent by Belgium’s Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot, who arrived on a visit to Ukraine on April 8.
“Europe lacked enough investment in defense in the past years. It's literally the reason why today, we do not appear as a counterpart in the (settlement – ed.) negotiation process, but it's certain that due to the fact that Ukraine is in Europe, there will be no just and lasting solution for any ceasefire or peace process without Ukraine and without Europe at the table. So it's important,” the head of the foreign ministry emphasized.
Commenting on the negotiation process initiated by the U..S, the minister voiced respect for these efforts, while emphasizing important positions for Belgium that cannot be ignored.
“We have respect for all the initiatives taken by the U.S president, but it's important to remind him that there is an aggressor and there is a victim. And clearly, the victim is Ukraine. The aggressor is Russia. And it's not possible to find a fair and just solution if we are talking about giving some part of territory, for instance,” Prévot noted.
“The territorial Integrity and the total sovereignty of Ukraine is a key issue for Belgium,” the minister emphasized.
Commenting on the question of who, in his opinion, could represent the European Union in the peace negotiation process in Ukraine, Prévot supported the position of European Commission Vice-President Kaja Kallas, High Representative for Foreign Affairs.
“She is our representative for all the international initiatives. She is taking the lead with different meetings trying to find necessary amounts you need, and I'm confident about the role she is able to play,” the Belgian Foreign Minister believes.
At the same time, he admits: “It's a fact today Europe is not directly involved at the negotiating table but I hope it will be different in the coming weeks and months..”
As Ukrinform reported, Belgian Prime Minister Bart de Wever, Foreign Minister Maxim Prévot, and Defense Minister Theo Francken arrived in Kyiv on April 8.
European Commission spokeswoman Anitta Hipper earlier said the European Union supports U.S.-led talks on a ceasefire in Ukraine, but believes any such talks should strengthen Kyiv's position as Vladimir Putin of Russia shows complete disregard for international efforts to achieve peace.
According to The Telegraph, some members of the "Coalition of the willing" have pushed for French President Emmanuel Macron to take the helm on engaging Russia as part of efforts to support Kyiv.
