'Donbas is not Putin's endgame' - Kallas warns
Photo: EU High Representative Kaja Kallas (Getty Images)
If Russia gains control of Donbas as part of a peace deal, it will then certainly continue to seize all of Ukraine, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas said this ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels.
"Donbas is not Putin’s endgame. If he gets Donbas, then the fortress is down, and then they definitely move on with taking the whole of Ukraine. If Ukraine goes, then other regions are in danger. We know this from history, and we should learn from history,” Kallas stressed.
Commenting on potential security guarantees for Ukraine, she said that these "cannot be papers or promises."
"They have to be real troops, real capabilities, so that Ukraine is able to defend itself. As I have said before, in the last hundred years, Russia has attacked at least 19 countries, some of them three or four times. None of those countries has ever attacked Russia, so they do not need security guarantees. Security guarantees are needed for everybody else," Kallas said.
The EU’s top diplomat called this week "very important" for resolving the issue of financing Ukraine and noted that they have "different options on the table."
"The most credible option is a reparations loan, and this is what we are working on. We are not there yet, and it is increasingly difficult, but we are doing the work. We still have some days," Kallas emphasized.
Demilitarized zone in Donbas
Earlier, the French newspaper Le Monde reported that Ukraine had allegedly agreed to the creation of a “demilitarized zone” under the condition of mutual troop withdrawals. According to the outlet, this potential concession by Kyiv was also allegedly supported by European leaders as a foundation for a possible peace settlement.
However, Ukraine’s Presidential Office denied this information.
Officials stressed that Presidential Office adviser Mykhailo Podolyak did not say that Ukraine had agreed to such conditions in comments to French journalists. He only noted that, in theory, various security models could be considered, but everything depends on specific parameters, control mechanisms, and the presence of clear legal guarantees.
Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he had reviewed all proposals from the American side, which in effect also reflected Russia’s vision regarding the territory of the Donetsk region.
According to him, the proposed approaches do not align with Ukraine’s national interests, but dialogue must continue to find acceptable solutions.
The president also clarified that different options for troop withdrawal are being discussed, including symmetrical pullbacks of 5 or 10 kilometers on both sides, as well as the introduction of international monitoring, as practiced in other conflicts.
Zelenskyy also said that a fair and realistic option for a ceasefire in Ukraine could be the principle of “we stay where we are,” meaning that the sides remain on their current positions. At the same time, all issues are resolved through diplomacy.
