The EU's top diplomat warned that pressure on Ukraine to make difficult concessions risks obscuring Russia's sole responsibility for the war. Kaja Kallas said Europe should push for concessions from Moscow instead and insisted the EU has "a very clear role" to sense check any potential peace deal because "you need Europe on board."
Pressure on Ukraine blurs responsibility, Kallas says
According to The Guardian, Vice-President of the European Commission and EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kallas said:
"The problem is that what we are seeing right now is that [...] there has been a lot of pressure on Ukrainians to make very difficult concessions," she said. The EU foreign policy chief warned this approach risked "blurring the picture, where the problem actually lies."
She offered historical context to support her argument: Russia has attacked at least 19 countries over the past 100 years, with some hit three or four times. None of those countries has ever attacked Russia. Kallas argued Europe should push for concessions from Moscow instead — including limits on its military, army, and nuclear weapons. She also said Europe should demand accountability "for the crimes that they have committed."
Russia prefers US talks to avoid real concessions
Kallas noted why Moscow courts Washington while avoiding substantive talks with Brussels. Russians see that "talking to the Americans is [helping] them [with] the maximalist demands that they haven't even conquered militarily," she said.
The EU's top diplomat insisted Europe has "a very clear role" in any future settlement.
Nuclear proliferation debate
As Norwegian PM Jonas Gahr Støre backed calls for a broader European debate on nuclear deterrence, Kallas connected the proliferation discussion directly to Russia's war against Ukraine.
"It started with Russia's war because then a lot of countries saw that, actually, threatening with the nuclear weapon works, you get to walk away with what you want," she said.
Countries with "appetite for the neighbours' territories" now conclude they need nuclear weapons to achieve their goals. Meanwhile, countries fearing their neighbors also conclude they need nuclear weapons.
"In terms of the world order, this is a very dangerous development," Kallas warned.
