EU's top diplomat: Stop pushing Zelensky to negotiate, Putin doesn't want to talk
Date: 2024-12-19 Author: Кирило Загоруйко Categories: WORLD
Western countries should stop calling on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to negotiate peace. Instead, they need to ensure that their promises on security guarantees for Kyiv are real.
Kaja Kallas, the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs, said this in an interview with the Financial Times. The EU's top diplomat stressed that there is no point in pressuring Zelensky to discuss peace when Russian President Vladimir Putin shows no desire to end the war.
Kallas added that the discussion of this topic took place on the eve of the EU leaders' summit, dedicated to adapting support for Kyiv against the backdrop of Donald Trump's possible return to the White House.
"There is no point in pushing Zelensky to talk when Putin does not want to talk," Kallas said. "We cannot talk about peacekeepers when there is no peace. And why is there no peace? Because Russia does not want peace."
Donald Trump has previously announced his intention to stop military aid to Ukraine and encourage Kyiv to negotiate a ceasefire, which is forcing EU countries to reconsider their strategies for supporting Ukraine in the event of such a scenario.
"Supporting Ukraine now is much cheaper than enduring a war later. Russia has not changed its goals. I mean, we have to be very honest with ourselves about this. What are we actually doing now?" Kallas said.
On the eve of the summit, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte met with Zelensky 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.
"If we start discussing among ourselves now what a peace agreement might look like, we are making it easier for the Russians," Rutte said. "I think it would be very wise for us to close this issue."
At the EU summit, the leaders plan to reaffirm support for Ukraine with the words: "as long as it takes and as intensively as it is necessary." A draft statement seen by the FT states: "Russia must not win."
However, there is still disagreement among European countries on the specific forms of assistance, such as deploying troops, providing long-range weapons or supporting Ukraine's accession to NATO. Kallas said:
"The big question is: what is the security guarantee? What is it really? If it's not troops, if it's not long-range weapons, what is it that actually protects you and protects you when someone attacks you?"
The idea of deploying European troops to Ukraine, proposed by French President Emmanuel Macron in February, has been controversial. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk made it clear last week that such discussions were not underway, while Germany and other key EU countries also do not support the concept.
"There are no preparations for troops," said one EU diplomat. "There is no structured discussion in the EU about this yet."
"We must not underestimate our own strength and overestimate Russia's strength," Kallas said. "We must do everything to strengthen Ukraine right now, because the stronger they are on the battlefield, the stronger they will be at the negotiating table - if they get to that point."
