The Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs Jan Lipavsky said leaders must make “any kind of effort which would lead to at least some easing of the situation” in Ukraine.
Speaking ahead of the EU Foreign Ministers meeting in Luxembourg, Lipavsky said “some humanitarian corridors” will help Ukrainians, but added: “On the other side, don’t be naive. Putin is a perpetrator of this horrendous war crime and those atrocities, and he should be punished for that.”
Nine humanitarian corridors were agreed for Sunday — covering the regions of Donetsk, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia — allowing civilians to leave for safer parts of Ukraine.
The ministers are gathering just as the Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer is set to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow — the first visit of an EU leader to Russia since the start of the invasion in late February.
The Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis remained cautious about the visit, saying: “I’ve seen a lot of efforts by many leaders — by Emmanuel Macron — to try and see whether they can talk to the guy [Putin]. I personally have no reason to believe that he’s talkable [to].”
Germany’s foreign minister Annalena Baerbock emphasized that everything must be done to clarify Russian war crimes in Ukraine, including supporting the International Criminal Court in investigating war crimes.
“What is clear is that Ukraine needs further military material, above all heavy weapons, and now is not the time for excuses — now is the time for creativity and pragmatism,” she added.