site.btaBulgaria, 15 EU Countries Call for Union's Renewed Diplomatic Engagement for Securing Global Support for Ukraine Ceasefire

Sixteen EU Member States, including Bulgaria, have sent a joint letter to Kaja Kallas, European Commission Vice-President and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, calling for the EU's renewed and intensified diplomatic engagement to secure global support for a ceasefire in Ukraine, the Foreign Ministry said in reply to BTA's inquiry.

The proposal for a joint letter to Kallas pitching a renewed, targeted and joint global diplomatic outreach effort to achieve a ceasefire in Ukraine, came from Austria. The Bulgarian Foreign Ministry told BTA that the letter recalls that the EU has already joined Ukraine and partner countries in calling for a 30-day ceasefire, which would be a decisive step for reducing the civilian population's suffering and would create an opening for reasonable peace negotiations directed at ending Russia's aggressive war and achieving a full, unconditional, and immediate ceasefire.

According to the joint letter, Russia has been rejected these calls without any indication of real will to stop its illegal and unprovoked aggression against Ukraine. The signatories underscore that at this stage, it is the Russian authorities' responsibility to demonstrate their commitment to peace.
 
The letter reads further that against this backdrop, the EU has a strategic interest to strengthen global support for the proposed ceasefire. Efforts should be renewed and contacts with third countries should be strengthened to ensure their support for this initiative. Many countries maintain close ties with Moscow, which could be used to increase the diplomatic pressure on the Kremlin.

The 15 signatories are Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden, the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry specified.