Central European Presidents Back EU-Russia Dialogue on Ukraine

BRATISLAVA, May 12. /TASS/. Presidents Peter Pellegrini of Slovakia, Alexander Van der Bellen of Austria, and Petr Pavel of the Czech Republic have supported the idea of establishing dialogue between the European Union and Russia on the issue of the Ukrainian settlement. "We spoke about the armed conflict in Ukraine and the need for launching a discussion at the European level with Russia," Pellegrini said after their meeting in Bratislava. In his words, the three of them believe that the European Union should choose an authoritative representative to engage in talks with Russia on ending the conflict in Ukraine. According to Pellegrini, it will not be easy to establish a negotiating process but it is necessary to do this. "We cannot allow the United States to be the sole driver of the peace dialogue. Without Brussels’ active participation, Europe will remain a mere bystander to the deals that Washington strikes with Moscow and Kiev," he said. He also said that the global situation was also among the topics of the meeting. "We all are aware that the international environment is changing, with big players promoting their own positions in their own ways," the Slovak president noted, adding that the three presidents agreed to consolidate efforts to address the risks social network pose for the youth. He acknowledged that advanced technologies are useful but called for elaborating the European Union’s uniform regulations for granting access to digital platforms for teenagers. The meeting was held in the so-called Slavkov format that was established in 2015 to strengthen cooperation in Central Europe. Slovakia is the current president of this loose association. Austria will take over presidency in July.