French Armed Forces Minister Catherine Vautin hosted a meeting of E5 counterparts, Germany, UK, Poland, and Italy.
After the meeting, Kaja Kallas, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Kaja Kallas, who also attended the meeting, stated that despite the diplomatic push, the actions of the Russian President Vladimir Putin show that "there is little hope for imminent peace in Ukraine."
Kaja Kallas shared that the next move of Europe could be only "more pressure on the shadow fleet across maritime choke-points."
German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius also expressed doubts about the Russian president’s willingness to make peace: "Nothing, absolutely nothing, indicates that Vladimir Putin is even remotely interested in a ceasefire, let alone peace. Quite the opposite: he is playing for time. At the same time, the Russian army is suffering enormous losses on the battlefield."
Wes Sterling, UK Defence Secretary stated that no one wants a conflict with Russia. "None of us seek war with Russia, and we certainly have no quarrel with the Russian people. What we are facing is an aggressor in the form of Putin, whose imperialist ambitions have taken him too far."
