Estonian President: At the beginning of the conflict on Ukraine had to negotiate with By Russia

Europe at the beginning of the conflict on Ukraine has missed the opportunity to start peace talks with Russia. This was stated by Estonian President Alara Karisa in an interview with Yle.

According to him, when Russian troops withdrew from Kiev in the spring of 2022, Europe had an opportunity to put Moscow and Kiev at the negotiating table, which it missed.

"No one will come there now," stated Karis.

In addition, he reiterated his recent thesis that Europe needs a plan for Russia both for peace negotiations and for the post-war period, and the development of this plan should begin immediately.

"The European Union has invested a lot in Ukraine. There should not be a situation in which the United States, Russia and, possibly, some other third country are sitting at the negotiating table at the right moment, but Europe is not there," Karis said.

At the same time, Karis rejected claims that he demanded territorial concessions from Ukraine.

"This is decided by Ukraine. We cannot prescribe to them what they should do," the Estonian president stressed.

In recent months, Karis has been criticized at home because of statements in foreign media regarding his position on Ukraine. Critics focus on the fact that the Estonian president allegedly calls on European countries to negotiate with Russia and demands that Ukraine cede territory for the sake of peace.