Kallas calls to stop pushing Zelenskyy to peace talks
Kaja Kallas (photo: Getty Images)
Western leaders should stop pushing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to negotiate peace with Russia. Instead, they should ensure that their promises of security guarantees to Kyiv are realistic, says Kaja Kallas in the interview with Financial Times.
This call came ahead of today's EU leaders' summit, where future support for Kyiv will be a major item on the agenda.
Kallas noted that there is no point in pressuring Zelensky to discuss peace when Vladimir Putin does not show a desire to end the war.
“We can’t talk about peacekeepers when there’s no peace. And why is there no peace? Because Russia does not want peace,” she said.
As the Financial Times notes, US President-elect Donald Trump has previously announced his intention to cut off military aid to Ukraine and encourage Kyiv to negotiate a ceasefire, forcing EU countries to reconsider strategies to support Ukraine in such a scenario.
“Supporting Ukraine now is much cheaper than enduring the war later. Russia hasn’t changed its goals. I mean, we need to be very honest with ourselves in this regard. What are we really doing right now?” - Kallas said.
On the eve of the summit, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte met with Zelenskyy and a number of European leaders, including Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The main topic of discussion was future support for Ukraine.
According to the draft statement, the leaders of the European Union intend to send a “clear message” to US President-elect Donald Trump about their continued support for Ukraine at the summit.
“Russia must not prevail,” the draft EU statement reads, adding that no initiative on Ukraine should be implemented without Kyiv's participation.
