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The European Union should not “humiliate” itself by seeking direct talks with Russia to end the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, High Representative Kaja Kallas has said, urging the bloc to avoid falling for Moscow’s “trap” of maximalist demands.
“What we have seen so far is that Russia does not want to engage in any kind of dialogue. We should not humiliate ourselves by being the ‘demandeurs’ (saying) ‘please, we beg you to talk to us’,” Kallas said on Thursday during an official visit to Estonia.
“We should put them in a position where they (the Russians) actually go from pretending to negotiate to actually negotiate.”
Kallas said the matter would be discussed on 10 and 11 May, when EU foreign ministers are set to meet informally in Cyprus. The debate will focus on the “requests” that the bloc should demand Moscow fulfil in a post-war scenario.
“Russia is gearing up its military for a long-term confrontation with the West. Whether Putin dares to test NATO at some point depends entirely on us. Deterrence works if it is credible. Showing weakness only invites aggression,” she said.
“There can be no return to ‘business as usual’ with Russia, even after Moscow ends this war in Ukraine.”
Her comments come a day after US President Donald Trump held a new lengthy phone call with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin. During the conversation, Putin suggested a brief ceasefire for the duration of the Victory Day celebrations in Moscow next week, which have been pared down due to Ukraine’s long-range strikes.
Reacting to the news, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he had instructed his team to clarify the details with the White House.
“Our proposal is a long-term ceasefire, reliable and guaranteed security for people, and a lasting peace,” Zelenskyy said on Thursday.
“Ukraine is ready to work toward this in any dignified and effective format.”
Political split
Asked about the US-brokered peace talks, Kallas said “there is nothing happening there” and decried Washington’s decision to grant Moscow sanctions relief in response to the spike in energy prices triggered by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
The US policy stands in stark contrast with that of the EU, which recently approved a new package of economic restrictions against Russia.
“When we see these calls between President Trump and President Putin, there are always a lot of questions unanswered, considering that Russia is openly praising the heroic battle that Iran is (waging) against America,” Kallas said.
“Does it mean that there is actually also more pressure on Russia because they are helping Iran to fight a war against them? We would like to see that pressure, and we did not see that in that call.”
The question of whether the EU should directly engage with Russia to end the war in Ukraine came to the fore in January when French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni backed the strategy in successive statements.
Member states were sharply split. Austria, the Czech Republic and Luxembourg expressed support, while Germany, Estonia, Lithuania and Cyprus opposed.
The debate lost traction after the US and Israel struck Iran, and the diplomatic attention heavily shifted to the Middle East. Today, the matter lies unresolved on the table.
Last week, Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever claimed the idea of EU-Russia talks had become “mainstream thinking” among his fellow leaders.
“We cannot let this war continue for years, with all the human suffering,” De Wever said. “People are being slaughtered for nothing.”
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