Ukraine has asked European partners to help broker a limited agreement with Russia to halt strikes on airports, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said, in a proposal aimed at giving Europe a more active role in peace diplomacy as US-led talks slow.
Speaking to Politico on the sidelines of a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels, Sybiha said Kyiv was seeking a “new role for Europe” in efforts to reach practical, step-by-step arrangements with Moscow.
“We probably need a new role for Europe in our peace efforts,” Sybiha said. “Perhaps we could try to settle this issue or reach a so-called airport ceasefire. Perhaps, if our European allies created a platform or, say, a special group, we could discuss it.”
Under the proposal, Ukraine and Russia would mutually stop attacks on airport infrastructure. Kyiv believes Moscow may have an incentive to consider such an arrangement as major Russian aviation hubs, including Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport and St. Petersburg’s Pulkovo Airport, become increasingly vulnerable to Ukrainian long-range strikes.
The idea would not replace Washington’s role in negotiations, Sybiha stressed. Instead, Kyiv wants any European effort to support the US-led diplomatic track and avoid creating rival formats.
“This should be an additional track – not instead of anything, not as an alternative,” Sybiha said, adding that Europe should speak “with one voice.”
Politico reported that Sybiha presented the proposal to European counterparts behind closed doors. EU officials responded cautiously, with one anonymous European official saying the bloc first needed to define what it expected from direct contacts with Moscow so as “not to act blindly.”