Costa outlines Europe’s priorities for Ukraine peace talks, principles for just peace

President of the European Council António Costa provided insights into Europe's priorities and principles for ongoing Ukraine peace talks. Recalling Europe's key objectives, Costa emphasized three main points: first, reaching a ceasefire; second, restoring navigation in the Black Sea; and third, establishing the conditions for a peace agreement. Despite limited concrete progress so far, Russia has continued to prioritize war escalation over peace, according to Costa.

Costa stressed the importance of a "just peace" that ensures European security. He outlined three principles underpinning such a peace. First, Ukraine is a sovereign nation and should be free to choose its alliances and partnerships. Europe firmly rejects the return of empires and zones of influence, firmly committing to never allowing them to resurface.

Second, Europe will not discuss or decide European security without the direct involvement and consensus of European nations, which is why the EU, NATO, and several European nations are actively participating in diplomatic efforts.

The third principle pertains to the European security architecture. Costa stressed the importance of upholding the established European security architecture that Europe has developed over decades, rejecting Russia's attempts to undermine it through force, most notably through the invasion of Ukraine. This commitment to the principles of sovereign equality, non-use of threat or force, inviolability of borders, territorial integrity, and peaceful dispute resolution will remain central to European Union negotiations regarding Ukraine's peace and broader European security.