Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha on Tuesday renewed calls for an “airport truce” as a starting point for an achievable truce as Russia’s invasion rages on.
Speaking on the sidelines of the “Ukraine-Africa. Past, Present and Future of Relations” forum, Sybiha said the proposal would be discussed with EU foreign ministers on Wednesday, according to state media Ukrinform.
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“We will discuss this tomorrow, because it is necessary that this is also discussed with the Russian side,” he said.
Sybiha said the precise format has yet to be decided, adding that the goal is to set up an achievable ceasefire.
“This could be an ‘airport’ truce, this could be an ‘energy’ truce, this could be a ‘port’ truce. That is, let’s choose a direction, a case, a matter and try to resolve it within a clearly defined timeframe,” Sybiha said.
Ukraine’s top diplomat previously floated the “airport truce” idea on May 11, when he called for Europe’s involvement in the process.
“We probably need a new role for Europe in our peace efforts,” Sybiha said at the time. “Perhaps we could try to settle this issue or reach a so-called airport ceasefire. Perhaps, if our European allies created a platform or, say, a special group, we could discuss it.”
The proposal involves a ceasefire on airport infrastructure. Kyiv believes Moscow may have an incentive to consider such an arrangement as major Russian aviation hubs, including Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport and St. Petersburg’s Pulkovo Airport, become increasingly vulnerable to Ukrainian long-range strikes.
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The proposal comes amid a sharp escalation in the war, now into its fifth year.
Over the weekend, Russia launched a major barrage on Kyiv and the surrounding region with 90 missiles and 600 drones – including the strategic Oreshnik missile. Moscow also hinted at more “systematic strikes” to come in retaliation for Kyiv’s alleged attack on a dormitory in occupied Luhansk’s Starobilsk, accusations that Kyiv denied.
Ukraine has also intensified its deep strikes against Russia’s oil and military infrastructure in recent weeks amid Moscow’s stagnant battlefield progress, hitting at least 10 oil refineries – some targeted in multiple strikes – and shutting down at least 6 in May alone.
Europe’s potential mediator role
Amid the escalation and with the US acknowledging peace talks have stalled despite offers to mediate, Europe’s role as a potential mediator has also come into question.
In early May, European Council President António Costa said the EU sees “potential” for future talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and the Kremlin said it would be open to the proposal if the EU initiates the talks.
Putin later named his friend, former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, to lead the talks on behalf of the EU, a proposal shot down by Brussels and Berlin.
By late May, the EU is also reportedly split on whether the bloc should talk to Putin.
According to Politico, Kyiv’s allies are pushing back, arguing that Putin is not serious about a ceasefire and that direct talks could undermine efforts to pressure Russia, while those supporting the plan argue the need to engage with Putin to achieve progress.