Plan B “of EU readings should shake -Ukraine’s conversations

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The EU is preparing a “plan B” on how to maintain economic sanctions against Russia in the event that the Trump administration abandoned Ukraine’s peace talks and seeks presence with Moscow, according to the highest diplomat of the blog.

United States President Donald Trump had pledged to end Russia’s more than three -year war against Ukraine, but has failed to force a peace agreement during his first 100 days in office as Moscow and Kiev. Both reject the elements of the proposals of their administration.

“It’s a question if the North -Americans want to leave,” the EU high representative for Security and Security Policy told Financial Times Kallas. “We see signs that They are contemplating Whether they have to leave Ukraine or not try to reach an agreement with the Russians because it is difficult. “

A spokesman for the Secretary of State of the United States, Marco Rubio, said on Tuesday: “If there is no progress, we will take a step back as mediators in this process.”

Trump’s suggestions for economic stop with Moscow as part of a peace agreement fed worries That some EU countries will require Brussels to move to lift EU sanctions against Russia in the coming months.

European officials are also concerned about the consequences of the United States, allowing their companies to restart economic cooperation with Russia, while EU businesses are still banned from doing so.

Kallas said there was a “B plan” to maintain economic pressure on Russia in the event that Hungary blocked the deployment of EU economic sanctions in July, but emphasized that Brussels was still focused on maintaining all the aligned Member States.

)There is also a plan B, but we have to work for Plan A; Otherwise, you will concentrate on Plan B and this will happen, “he added, adding that the talks were underway with Washington and other international partners to ensure that the Western sanctions regime would remain in its place.

The FT has previously reported that one option is that national governments adopt sanctions individually to prevent a Hungarian veto, such as Belgium issues a royal decree to keep 190 million euros Value of the Russian state assets frozen in the Belgian soil.

“Belgium will not do something nationally,” a senior Belgian official said in FT.

But Kallas acknowledged that there are discussions in some EU capitals as to whether the Trump administration will leave Ukraine and restore relations with Russia.

“It is clear that these types of discussions occur in certain Member States and maybe we hope that we really do not have to support (Ukraine),” said Kallas, former Estonian Prime Minister. “But it is also a false hope, because if we look at Russia that invest more than 9 percent of their GDP in the army, they will want to return it.”

As part of its peace proposals, the United States has been offered to lift sanctions against Moscow, jointly imposed with the EU, and restart economic cooperation with Russia in sectors including energy. Hungary has threatened to veto a unanimous vote needed at the end of July to expand the EU sanctions regime.

Kallas said that Europe could intervene economically to help Ukraine in the event of a United States withdrawal, but acknowledged that “in terms of military support, of course, it is harder to fill the gap if the North -Americans leave.”

He said that Brussels and other European capitals focused on “still working with the North -Americans and trying to convince them why the result of this war is also of interest to them, that Russia does not really achieve everything he wants.”

But Kallas said that no EU country would accept Crimean recognition as Russia, an element of the United States proposal, which is a major red line for Kiev.

“I can’t see that we accept these kinds of things. But we can’t talk to America, of course, and what they will do,” he said. “On the European side, we have said it again and again … Crimea is Ukraine.”

“There are tools in the hands of the North -Americans who can use to put pressure on Russia to really stop this war,” added Kallas. “President Trump has said he wants the slaughter to stop. He should put the pressure on what the slaughter does.”