EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell. File photoBRUSSELS, Apr 22The EU believes that Russia does not currently want to negotiate a settlement of the situation in Ukraine, therefore, they will continue to support Kyiv with weapons, Josep Borrell, head of EU diplomacy, said in an interview with European media. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday that Moscow had transmitted Ukraine offers on a peace agreement as early as April 15, there is still no answer, everything «hung» on the side of Kyiv. The Russian diplomatic department also noted that «any conflict situations end in negotiations», there are no other tools for resolving them.Russia handed over to Ukraine a draft agreement with clear language «To work at the negotiating table? Of course! Tomorrow, now! The problem is that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin says no,» Borrell said. Karl Nehammer: «The Austrian chancellor returned (from Moscow — ed.) and said that Putin did not want to talk about the negotiations, that he was preparing a big offensive in the Donbass … We want to support the Ukrainians,» the head of European diplomacy says. At the same time, Borrell added that the EU hopes for an end to the escalation in Ukraine “as soon as possible.” “We want to help Ukraine defend itself against aggression,” he said. According to the Austrian media, they talked for 90 minutes.Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov previously noted that any cargo that contains weapons for Ukraine will become a legitimate target for Russia. Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov noted that pumping Ukraine with weapons from the West does not contribute to the success of Russian-Ukrainian negotiations and will have a negative effect. >Ukraine did not appreciate the Russian gesture of goodwill, said LavrovRussia launched a military operation in Ukraine on 24 February. President Vladimir Putin called its goal «the protection of people who have been subjected to bullying and genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years.» For this, according to him, it is planned to carry out «demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine», to bring to justice all war criminals responsible for «bloody crimes against civilians» in Donbass. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the Armed Forces strike only at military infrastructure and Ukrainian troops and , on March 25, completed the main tasks of the first stage — significantly reduced the combat potential of Ukraine. The main goal in the Russian military department was called the liberation of Donbass.
