Kallas says she could represent EU in talks with Russia
Photo: Kaja Kallas, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (flickr.com)
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas suggested that she could act as the European Union’s negotiator in a future dialogue with Russia during a press conference following a meeting of the EU Council.
Responding to a question about whether she would be willing to become the EU’s chief negotiator, Kallas referred to her legal background. She said she was capable of spotting the traps that Russia usually sets during negotiations.
The EU diplomat noted that she had spent half of her professional career as a lawyer and partner at a law firm and had taken part in numerous negotiations.
At the same time, Kallas stressed that the EU still needs to agree on a common set of demands toward Russia for any future peace talks, since Moscow currently shows no signs of being ready for genuine dialogue.
In her view, the European Union is not yet in a position to enter peace negotiations. She added that discussions are ongoing among member states about what specific conditions should be presented to Russia.
Kallas also said the EU does not see Russia engaging in negotiations in good faith and noted that member states are still debating what exactly they want from Moscow.
Russia may object
In a comment to RBC-Ukraine, political analyst Volodymyr Fesenko suggested that Russia would likely reject Kallas as the EU’s representative in negotiations.
According to him, the European diplomat would hardly meet Putin’s requirement that the negotiator should be someone who has not said bad things about Russia.
Earlier, on May 9, Russian leader Vladimir Putin said he considered former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder the best candidate from the EU for possible negotiations on ending the war against Ukraine.
German officials quickly dismissed the idea. One official stated that Schröder’s candidacy as a mediator between Europe and Russia was not being considered.
Today, May 11, media reports said Berlin is discussing German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier as a potential EU negotiator in talks with Russia.
