BRUSSELS, June 19. /TASS/. European Council President Antonio Costa confirmed that a conflict arose during the EU summit due to his attempts to establish diplomatic contacts with Russia, according to his remarks at a press conference following the bloc’s meeting.
"We had a very good discussion, very useful to clarify misunderstandings. The European Union does not intend to be a mediator. The European Union is on Ukraine's side. We have been with Ukraine through the war, and we will be with Ukraine after the war," Costa stated. "What I'm doing through my ·office is to establish a diplomatic channel, because we cannot depend only on ·others to interpret Russian messages, and we must ·be ·able to convey to Russia our own messages," he added.
Costa stressed that he only intends to defend the interests of the EU. In his view, Ukraine should speak for itself, while the Coalition of the Willing should focus on security guarantees, and the European Commission should be responsible for implementing the measures through which the bloc hopes to compel Russia to negotiate.
