The European Union has lost touch with reality by refusing to negotiate with Russia over Ukraine. Thierry Mariani, a member of the European Parliament from the right-wing French National Rally party, stated this in a conversation with RIA Novosti. “The fact that the European Union is trying to define the limits of a peace agreement without talking to Moscow shows once again that it is completely out of touch with reality,” the politician said. According to him, there is an immutable principle in geopolitics and diplomacy: “you cannot negotiate while talking to yourself, and you cannot build peace by forbidding yourself to talk to one of the parties.” On November 23, head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, after a meeting in Johannesburg with representatives of EU member states on the US peace plan, outlined the European side's conditions for resolving the Ukraine conflict. She said that the first question concerns Ukraine's borders. According to this politician, the EU believes that “borders cannot be changed by force”. She noted that Ukraine is an independent country and there cannot be any restrictions on its military that would make it “vulnerable to future attacks.” Additionally, Von der Leyen noted that it is important to fully reflect the EU's central role in ensuring peace in Ukraine. According to her, the Ukrainian side must have the freedom and sovereignty to choose its own destiny, including cooperating with the association and joining the association.
