EU Commission says next Ukraine-Russia talks could include EU, U.S.

This was stated by European Commission spokesperson Paula Pinho, as quoted by Ukrinform.

She noted that yesterday, Trump informed European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen about his phone dialogue with Russian ruler Vladimir Putin.

“With regard to the next steps — and this was also a good initiative — it was agreed that direct talks between Ukraine and Russia should take place, with the involvement of European partners and the U.S. We will see exactly where these talks should be held,” the spokesperson emphasized.

At the same time, Pinho responded to a question about the likelihood of coordinating sanctions against Russia with Washington’s position, which currently refrains from restrictions. She clarified that Europe has not changed its stance, but the timing of implementing the 17th sanctions package will depend on “progress over the next days.”

“The exact dates for implementing these sanctions will depend on the progress achieved in the coming days. Meanwhile, we continue working on the next sanctions package, as announced by President von der Leyen last week… We are in contact with our G7 partners regarding the price cap (on Russian oil — editor’s note), so we will see if this can be a joint measure in the G7 format,” the spokesperson explained.

• Doctor of Sociological Sciences, Head of the Institute of Conflictology and Analysis of Russia, Oleksandr Shulha, says Putin’s aide Ushakov shaped Russian messaging on Trump-Putin phone call.