EU warns US against pressuring Ukraine over Russia on peace plan

EU Warns US Against Pressuring Ukraine Over Russia on Peace Plan

The European Union’s top diplomat expressed concern that US attempts to push Ukraine into a lopsided peace plan would only encourage Russia’s warmongering as Kyiv’s allies brace themselves for a key week of talks to end Moscow’s invasion.

“I’m afraid all the pressure will be put on the weaker side because that is the easier way to stop this war when Ukraine surrenders,” Kaja Kallas, the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs, told reporters on Monday. “But this is not in anybody’s interest.”

Her remarks, made following an EU defense ministers’ meeting, come as a US delegation led by special envoy Steve Witkoff heads to Moscow this week for negotiations over Russia’s war in Ukraine. Kallas said the talks could be “pivotal.”

Europe is on edge after the US released a peace plan that was drafted with Moscow’s input. The document initially included numerous Russia-friendly concessions that would have forced Ukraine to hand over territory, cap its military and never join the NATO military alliance.

While those demands have since been eliminated or revised after meetings with Ukraine and its European allies, Kallas said the approach is playing into Russia’s hand.

“They see there’s a lot of pressure to put on the victim, but not really sacrifices from them,” she said. “Clearly they want to negotiate with those who are just offering them something on top of what they already have. This is clearly their interest, but it shouldn’t be ours.”

Ukrainian officials were in Florida over the weekend to meet with Witkoff as well as Secretary of State Marco Rubio and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

Both sides called the talks productive, but noted that contentious issues like territorial concessions had yet to be settled.

“There’s more work to be done,” Rubio told reporters after at least four hours of talks. “This is delicate. It’s complicated.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy arrived in Paris on Monday to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron. He also held a phone call with Witkoff, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and the head of Ukrainian delegation, Rustem Umerov.