The European Union is ready to engage in peace negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, stressing that it has long been prepared for such an opportunity.
The statement was made on Friday by European Commission spokeswoman Paula Pinho, during a briefing with journalists in Brussels.
"We are prepared and have been preparing for a long time, and we look forward to the moment when Russia will be ready to engage in real discussions and in real terms to end this war," Pinho declared.
Brussels' stance came after questions about whether the European Commission was preparing for a possible new phase of negotiations and whether it would be willing to send a representative to participate in the peace talks.
The statements come at a time when diplomatic efforts to end the war, which began in February 2022 with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, have received new attention.
This follows recent phone calls between the leaders of Finland and Norway with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which have brought back into focus the possibility of a diplomatic engagement to end the conflict.
