Kaja Kallas warns Europe against Russia's 'traps' as EU divides over peace talks
Key Takeaways
- The EU foreign policy chief accused Russia of setting diplomatic traps through demands for changes to Europe's security arrangements.
- European officials remain divided over who should represent the bloc in negotiations with Russia, Ukraine and the United States.
- Jared Kushner urged Europe to agree on a representative, while Russia's Vladimir Medinsky called for a major overhaul of the continent's security framework.
The EU foreign policy chief rejects Moscow's demands for a new European security framework as disagreements emerge over who should represent the bloc in negotiations.
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has warned European leaders against accepting Russia's demands for changes to the continent's security arrangements, arguing that doing so could distract from efforts to secure a ceasefire in Ukraine.
Speaking to reporters ahead of an informal EU leaders' meeting in Dublin on Friday, Kallas accused Moscow of attempting to shift attention away from the ongoing conflict.
"If we start to, you know, talk about, you know, what Russia is asking regarding the security architecture, we actually walk into the traps that Russia is setting us, which is that we divert the attention away from that there is no ceasefire and actually start to listen to their claims," she told reporters.
Kallas insisted that discussions should remain focused on ending the fighting rather than addressing Moscow's wider security demands.
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"Let's focus on what it is at hand. We have one aggressor and one victim, and the aggressor does not have security concerns. Nobody has ever attacked them," she alleged.
Her remarks came amid disagreements within the EU over who should represent Europe in negotiations involving Russia, Ukraine and the United States.
According to media reports, European officials are divided between those supporting European Council President Antonio Costa, those favouring French and German negotiators, and a smaller group backing Kallas.
The dispute has raised questions about whether European governments can agree on a single representative as diplomatic efforts to end the Ukraine conflict continue.
Following negotiations in Abu Dhabi, US envoy Jared Kushner criticised Europe's inability to agree on a common negotiating position.
"If Europe could identify one person to speak on their behalf, that would be a bigger achievement than getting the Russians to include them in the negotiations."
On Thursday, Kushner also acknowledged that European participation would be necessary for any final agreement.
He said "we cannot conclude this deal without the Europeans being at the table" and claimed Russian President Vladimir Putin was 'willing to give it a try'.
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Meanwhile, Russian delegation head Vladimir Medinsky called for major changes to Europe's security arrangements following the trilateral discussions.
Medinsky described the existing European security system as 'sick' and argued that a 'band-aid won't cut it'.
He said a comprehensive overhaul had become a 'central topic' during the latest negotiations and claimed the parties had found 'common ground' on some issues.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
