Bildt: Europe is trying to strengthen Ukraine's position

TT

Published 23.08

           
           Carl Bildt has been both Prime Minister and Foreign Minister in Sweden. Archive photo. Photo:             Stefan Jerrevång/TT

According to former Minister of State and Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, European leaders are trying to strengthen Ukraine's negotiating position towards the US with their counterproposal during the meeting in Switzerland.

- They have removed the sharpest and most sensational parts of what we call the Russian-American proposal, Bildt tells Sveriges Radio.

- Then it is unclear how much of this Washington is prepared to accept, he continues.

Bildt points out that it is precisely Kiev's position towards the US that the European leaders are trying to strengthen, not towards Moscow.

- The Russians are not in this game yet.

Carl Bildt points out that the European leaders have deleted various “ridiculous” points in the Russian-American proposal – which he considers “characterized by a fairly high level of amateurism.”

When asked if he can give examples of this amateurism, Bildt replies:

– For example, this formulation that I mentioned about the US mediating between NATO and Russia. There is no professional diplomat in Washington or Moscow who would write such nonsense.

Bildt believes that there is still a long way to go and that the positive statements that have been aired about the meeting in Switzerland should perhaps be taken with a pinch of salt.

When asked by the radio whether the meeting should be described as some kind of breakthrough, he replies:

– We are not there at all yet.