Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Europe must have a role in the peace process for Ukraine on Thursday when asked to comment on the United State’s proposed peace plan.

The plan would reportedly entail Kyiv ceding large parts of its territory to Russia and having to scale back its army in a major way.

“It is difficult to comment on leaks to journalists,” Tajani said as he entered the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels.

“We’ll analyse deeply it (the plan) when it is presented.

“As has always been said, Europe must have a role

“Ukraine also represents a security barrier for Europe.

“If Ukraine falls, the risks for Europe increase and we absolutely cannot accept or allow this”.

Tajani added that he had no objection to seized Russian assets being used to support Ukraine as long as a way is found for this to be done in a legal way.

“It’s purely a legal issue, not a political one,” he said.

“We need to see how it can be done and how to also guarantee the stability of the eurozone.

“The legal experts must now conduct an in-depth analysis together with the European Central Bank”.