BRUSSELS (AP) 鈥� Top European Union diplomat Kaja Kallas said Tuesday that she is drafting a list of concessions that she believes Russia must make to secure any long-term peace in Ukraine as U.S.-run talks to end show little sign of progress.
Russian forces used in an attack on a market in Ukraine killing seven as envoys from Moscow and Kyiv met in Abu Dhabi last week for of U.S.-brokered talks. No breakthrough was made, although a new prisoner swap was agreed.
After saying in 2024 that he could end the war in a day, then 100 days, U.S. President Donald Trump has now given Ukraine and Russia to come to an agreement.
The EU is convinced that Russia is not negotiating seriously and it doubts that European and Ukrainian interests are being represented by the Trump administration, so work has begun on 鈥渁 sustainable peace plan鈥� that might force Moscow鈥檚 hand.
鈥淲e have just seen increased bombing by Russians during these talks,鈥� EU foreign policy chief Kallas said, including the targeting of Ukraine鈥檚 during what has been the coldest winter of the war.
Kallas said that the 27-nation bloc is 鈥渧ery grateful鈥� for U.S. diplomatic efforts so far, but 鈥渢o have sustainable peace also, everybody around the table including the Russians and the Americans need to understand that you need Europeans to agree.鈥�
European conditions
鈥淲e also have conditions,鈥� Kallas told reporters in Brussels. 鈥淎nd we should put the conditions not on Ukrainians that have already been pressured a lot, but on the Russians.鈥�
Kallas said these conditions could include demands that Russia return possibly thousands of children and limits on the size of the Russian armed forces once the war is over. Russia insists on a cap for Ukraine鈥檚 forces.
鈥淭he Ukrainian army is not the issue. It鈥檚 the Russian army. It鈥檚 the Russian military expenditure. If they spend so much on the military they will have to use it again,鈥� Kallas said.
A draft list of conditions is likely to be shared among EU member countries in coming days for a possible discussion when the bloc鈥檚 foreign ministers meet on Feb. 23.
Shifting pressure from Ukraine
Kallas said that Ukraine is reliant on the United States for support and that this dependency has seen it forced to make almost all the concessions.
鈥淧ressuring the weaker party is always maybe getting the results faster but it鈥檚 only a declaration that we have peace. It鈥檚 not sustainable peace. It鈥檚 not going to be a guarantee for Ukraine or anybody else that Russia is not going to attack again.鈥�
She said that the Europeans do not want to start a separate track of peace talks, which Russia in any case would likely dismiss. Russian officials have said they are waiting for the Trump administration to deliver on commitments they say he made to Russian President Vladimir Putin at a .
Kallas described them as 鈥渁bsolute maximalist demands鈥� that are not acceptable to the Europeans. Insread, she said, Europe must “change the narrative鈥� and ratchet up pressure on Putin.
鈥淓verybody wants this war to stop, except the Russians,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e can push them into the place where they actually want to end this war. They鈥檙e not there yet. Unfortunately, it鈥檚 not an easy solution.鈥�
Kallas cited recent intelligence estimates that Putin is struggling to find recruits to continue his war effort and insisted that EU sanctions are damaging Russia鈥檚 economy as inflation there runs high.
鈥淲e need to go from the place where they pretend to negotiate, to where they actually negotiate, and we are not there,鈥� she said.
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