Media reveal details about concessions EU will demand from Russia as part of peace agreement

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty stated this in an article, Ukrinform reports.

The document, titled "European Core Interests in Ensuring a Comprehensive, Just and Lasting Peace and Continent's Security," emphasizes that there can be no peace or security "without the EU at the negotiating table and without taking into account [the] EU's core interests."

It presents what the outlet describes as a "maximalist" EU view of what Russia must do.

According to one European diplomat, "we pay back to Russian maximalists demands on Ukraine." Another European official added that "getting to peace isn't all about Ukraine conceding. We also have to talk about what Russia must do, ahead of sending any envoy there."

The first section, titled "Russia to Respect Independence, Sovereignty and Territorial Integrity of States," states that if Ukraine is required to limit the size of its armed forces or withdraw them from certain areas, Russia must do the same. It also demands that there be no de jure recognition of occupied Ukrainian territories and that these areas be demilitarized.

The section "A Secure and Stable Europe" calls for Russia to cease disinformation campaigns, sabotage, cyberattacks, airspace violations, and interference in elections on European territory and in neighboring countries.

Another demand stipulates the absence of nuclear weapons in Belarus and a "ban of Russian military presence and deployments in Belarus, Ukraine, Republic of Moldova, Georgia and Armenia."

In the context of compliance with international law, the EU's demands include no amnesty for war crimes, granting international investigators access to sites of alleged war crimes, and ensuring that Russian domestic legislation does not override international treaties defining Russia's global obligations.

Regarding reparations, the document states that "Russia must compensate and contribute to Ukraine's reconstruction, for damages to European states and European companies, and for ecological damages it has caused."

The final EU demands concern the internal situation in Russia. They include calls for free and fair elections with international monitoring, the release of all political prisoners, the return of deported civilians and children, media freedom, repeal of the foreign agents law, an end to the falsification of history, and full cooperation in investigating the murders of Russian opposition leaders Alexei Navalny and Boris Nemtsov.

The publication notes that the document will be discussed by EU ambassadors on February 17 and that at least some of its parts are expected to be raised at a meeting of the bloc's foreign ministers in Brussels on February 23.

As previously reported, Kallas said last week that she would propose a list of concessions Europe should demand from Russia as part of a peaceful settlement and an end to the war in Ukraine.