2026-10-20 17:45:23Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX

EU High Representative Kaja Kallas has sharply accused the United States of pressuring Ukraine to capitulate on terms favorable to Russian President Vladimir Putin, just as a new round of peace talks was taking place in Oslo, Norway.

"American negotiators have been trying to push Ukraine to surrender for almost two years, a year and a half now," she told the European Parliament on Tuesday.

"The reason Ukraine has not surrendered on Putin's terms is because Europe has supported Ukraine," she added.

Kallas also argued that the European presence was necessary at the negotiating table to "balance" the positions embraced by the White House, which have become increasingly biased towards Moscow's interests.

Relations between the US and Europe have deteriorated since US President Donald Trump reached an oil supply deal with Putin and eased sanctions until April 2027, without receiving any concessions from Russia in return.

Trump has called for new elections in Ukraine, which are banned during the war, and complained that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was “more difficult to deal with” than Putin. Zelenskyy, in turn, said he feels betrayed by Trump.

“I believe steps have been taken to persuade Ukraine to capitulate,” Zelenskyy told Bloomberg in a recent interview.

Kallas raised the alarm about recent developments while addressing the Parliament in Strasbourg, where some MEPs complained that Europe lacked a peace strategy.

"This is not true," Kallas said, referring to a document she had presented to EU capitals with demands that Europe should expect Moscow to meet in a future settlement.

"If Russia is presenting its maximalist demands and demands, we need to put our maximal demands on the table to balance these negotiations, as well as to send a clear message to Russia that for all those things that it is interested in – the lifting of sanctions – Europe needs to be around that table because those are European decisions."

"We are not taking these things away for free because it is not only peace that can be there, but also because this peace is long-lasting and just," she added.

Kallas accused Russia of endangering the security of the Black Sea with its armed blockade, using food supplies as weapons and trying to cause a global famine. Romania and Bulgaria have recently reported Russian drone attacks outside their territorial waters.

The High Representative also criticized Moscow for rejecting an energy ceasefire and for intensifying its bombing campaign against Ukraine ahead of the winter season.


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