European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the bloc would welcome an energy ceasefire if it was observed, but questioned whether Russia would comply. European criticism also focused on Washington's agreement with Moscow on diesel supplies.
BRUSSELS, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) -- European leaders on Monday questioned whether Russia would honor an "energy ceasefire" announced by U.S. President Donald Trump, while saying a real halt to attacks on energy infrastructure could offer relief if implemented.
The announcement, which Moscow has yet to confirm, came amid growing concerns in Europe over Washington's recent diesel supply agreement with Russia and its implications for Western sanctions and transatlantic relations.
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the bloc would welcome an energy ceasefire if it was observed, but questioned whether Russia would comply.
"We welcome the energy ceasefire when it holds. We have not yet seen that also Russia will stick to it," Kallas told reporters ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg.
She said a ceasefire limited to oil refineries would disproportionately benefit Russia, which has far more refining facilities than Ukraine.
"If we want to end this war, the only way we can do this is by putting more pressure on Russia," Kallas said, calling on the United States to impose sanctions on Moscow.
LEADERS QUESTION RUSSIA'S COMMITMENT
French President Emmanuel Macron said Monday that he had seen no sign of an energy ceasefire on the Russian side, pointing to continued strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk also expressed skepticism about the prospects for a ceasefire. At the Warsaw Security Forum, he said Russia had repeatedly rejected proposals for de-escalation.
"Russia is not interested in a ceasefire, or in de-escalation or peace," Tusk said, adding that European countries should have no illusions about Moscow's intentions.
Tusk also called for further strengthening sanctions against Russia.
Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics said that there were currently no signs Russia was ready to end the conflict, as Russian President Vladimir Putin remained convinced he could achieve victory.
Nevertheless, Rinkevics said that a U.S.-brokered energy ceasefire, if successfully implemented, would benefit all sides. Europe should continue providing military and financial assistance to Ukraine and help the country prepare for the coming winter, he added.
Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik, however, welcomed the ceasefire. He described the announcement as an opportunity to restore dialogue and move toward peace, while accusing European officials of prolonging the conflict through continued military assistance to Ukraine.
DIESEL AGREEMENT DRAWS CRITICISM
European criticism also focused on Washington's agreement with Moscow on diesel supplies.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Monday that the U.S.-Russia diesel agreement was "out of the question" for Germany and Europe.
Russia would only negotiate seriously under pressure, he said. Germany would maintain its sanctions against Moscow, and he called for tougher measures following continued Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure.
Hanna Notte, director of the Eurasia Nonproliferation Program at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies and a non-resident senior associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the latest developments were creating new tensions between Washington and Kyiv and further straining transatlantic relations.
"Politically, Russia is really the beneficiary here," Notte said.
She said the diesel agreement set a precedent allowing Moscow to conclude bilateral economic deals with Washington without first reaching a settlement on the Ukraine conflict. It could also undermine the credibility of Western sanctions, particularly after years of efforts to discourage other countries from purchasing Russian energy, she argued.
Felix Klauser, head of German public broadcaster ZDF's Moscow bureau, said the diesel agreement represented a political gain for the Kremlin, which could portray the easing of sanctions as a symbolic breakthrough at home and abroad.
He said the agreement meanwhile increased pressure on Ukraine to halt attacks on Russian oil infrastructure. Its political symbolism appeared to matter more to Trump than the actual volume of Russian diesel reaching global markets before the U.S. midterm elections, Klauser said.
QUESTIONS OVER CEASEFIRE TERMS
Finnish national broadcaster Yle also raised questions about whether the proposed energy ceasefire would impose equal obligations on Russia and Ukraine.
Markku Kangaspuro, a professor at the University of Helsinki, told Yle that Russia could benefit from the arrangement without even agreeing to a ceasefire.
Tyyne Karjalainen, a researcher at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs, said that Ukraine could face more severe consequences if the ceasefire broke down, including the risk of Washington withdrawing security support.
A commentary published Monday in The Irish Times argued that Trump's proposed energy ceasefire was heavily tilted in Russia's favor, potentially depriving Ukraine of one of its most effective means of exerting pressure on Moscow.
Nevertheless, the commentary noted that expanding the ceasefire from oil refineries to all energy infrastructure could help ease Ukrainian civilians' suffering during the approaching winter.
Such a move could pave the way for a broader ceasefire, it suggested, although a negotiated settlement to the conflict remained a distant prospect. ■
