The European Union does not see itself as a neutral mediator in talks between Russia and Ukraine because it openly supports Kiev, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Thursday, May 28, after an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers in Cyprus.

Kallas said Europe stands with Ukraine while also defending its own core security interests. Earlier the same day, she said European countries wanted to be involved in discussions on the situation in Ukraine. Russia’s Foreign Ministry had previously noted that EU representatives had not been invited to negotiations on a Ukrainian settlement.

The EU foreign policy chief also said the ministers discussed possible demands on Russia and ways to increase pressure on Moscow.

Kallas separately stressed that Brussels was not trying to replace Washington in the negotiating process. According to her, EU efforts should complement those of the United States, while European countries are addressing issues that Washington did not raise in the Russia-Ukraine talks.

Earlier on Thursday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, commenting on Kallas’s proposal to limit the Russian Armed Forces in the event of negotiations on Ukraine, said he would not discuss such remarks and described them as idiotic. Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov also criticized Kallas’s position, calling her words street-level remarks that few people pay attention to.