00:01for the european union to engage in direct talks with russia the mandate matters more than the
00:08person foreign ministers said as they gathered in cyprus for an informal meeting on thursday
00:14this unity they warned would only play into moscow's hands and undermine ukraine i find
00:21that it's a trap that russia wants us to walk into that we discuss who talks to them and they
00:27are already picking who is suitable who is not let's not walk into that trap negotiations is
00:32always a team effort you have good cups you have bad cups you have a strategy how you go to
00:38the
00:38table so that's why the substance is much more important than who callas implicitly referred
00:46to the kremlin's far-fetched suggestion of former german chancellor guard schroeder as the bloc's
00:51chief negotiator schroeder is a pariah in mainstream european politics thanks in large part to his
00:58continued warm relations with russian president vladimir putin and lobbying for several russian
01:03energy companies kallas who has circulated a confidential paper with concessions and
01:09expectations that russia should fulfill as part of a settlement suggested the eu approach the
01:15negotiations from a maximalist stance to counter putin's own maximalist demands
01:21you
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