BRUSSELS, April 4. /TASS/. The European Union believes it’s necessary to continue diplomatic contacts with Russia and is withholding comment on potential new sanctions, Peter Stano, a spokesperson of the European Commission for foreign affairs, said in Brussels on Monday.
"Putin is the source of the problem," he said. "If you want to solve the problem you need to communicate with Putin and this communication is ongoing through various channels and through various leaders."
He said the EU plans to accelerate work on new sanctions on Russia but declined to disclose what they could be. He said EU’s top diplomat Josep Borrell proposed to move ahead faster with new sanction on Russia due to reports about the situation in Bucha.
"Taking decisions in the council is the competence of the member states," Stano said. "We are not in the business of commenting on ongoing processes."
On April 3, the Russian Ministry of Defense rebutted Kiev’s accusations of murder of civilians in the town of Bucha, Kiev Region. The ministry stated that Russian forces completely withdrew from Bucha on March 30, while the "evidence of crimes" didn’t appear until four days later when Ukrainian Security Service officers arrived in Bucha. The Defense Ministry also said that Bucha Mayor Anatoly Fedoruk confirmed in a video address on March 31 that there were no Russian forces in the city, and he didn’t mention any civilians shot and killed in the streets.