European leaders seek to prevent rewarding Russian aggression, Spain says
Spain's Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares looks on as he attends the 55th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Jan 21.
PHOTO: Reuters file
MADRID — Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said European leaders will discuss in Paris on Monday (Feb 17) how to prevent a peace negotiation on Ukraine ending up rewarding Russian aggression.
"A war of aggression cannot be rewarded, we cannot encourage others to launch wars of aggression," he said in an interview with radio station Onda Cero.
"Today I'm convinced Putin will keep attacking and bombing Ukraine. So I do not see peace on the horizon at the moment," he added.
Albares spoke ahead of an emergency summit of European leaders, including Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer, hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron on the Ukraine war. The summit was convened after US officials suggested Europe would have no role in any talks on ending the conflict.
US President Donald Trump stunned European Nato allies and Ukraine last week when he announced he had held a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin without consulting with them and would start a peace process.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Saudi Arabia on Monday ahead of expected talks with Russian officials aimed at ending Moscow's nearly three-year war in Ukraine.
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