BRUSSELS (Reuters) -European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Monday that it was “not nice” that Russian President Vladimir Putin might travel to EU member Hungary for talks on Ukraine.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he would soon meet Putin in Budapest.
Kallas told reporters ahead of a gathering of European foreign ministers in Luxembourg that Trump’s efforts to bring peace are welcome but that it is also important for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to meet with the Russian leader.
“America has a lot of strength to pressure Russia to come to the negotiation table, if they use that then, of course, this is good if Russia stops this war,” Kallas said.
Putin faces an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court, which Hungary is in the process of leaving.
“Regarding Budapest, no, it’s not nice … to see that really a person put to the arrest warrant by the ICC is coming to a European country,” Kallas said, adding that the “question is whether there is any outcome”.
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys said that there was no place for Putin in any European capital.
“The only place for Putin in Europe (is) in The Hague, in front of the tribunal, not in any of our capitals,” he said ahead of the ministers’ meeting.
The EU’s Kallas also told reporters she expected that the 19th package of sanctions against Russia would be adopted this week, but said that approval would not come on Monday.
(Reporting by Lili Bayer, writing by Inti Landauro; Editing by Toby Chopra)
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