President of Estonia Alar Karis stated that Europe made a mistake in spring 2022 and let the best opportunity for peace talks slip away.

Axar.az informs, in an inteview with Yle, Karis said that when Russian forces were pushed back from the outskirts of Kyiv to areas closer to Russian territory, Europe had a chance to bring the aggressor to the negotiating table. “Now no one is coming to the negotiating table,” he said.

Karis stressed that only Ukraine itself can decide on territorial concessions. He added that Europe, however, needs a clear plan for dealing with Russia both in potential peace negotiations and in the post-war period, and that work on such a plan should begin immediately due to the slow processes within the EU.

He warned that it would be unacceptable if, when the time comes for negotiations, only the United States, Russia, and possibly a third country are present, while Europe is excluded despite its significant investment in Ukraine.