Kaja Kallas accuses the US of pressuring Ukraine to capitulate to Russia and calls on Europe to be present at the peace negotiations

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas accused the United States on Tuesday in Strasbourg of pressuring Ukraine to accept a capitulation on terms imposed by Russia. The statement was made in the European Parliament, while talks between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US envoy Steve Witkoff were taking place in Oslo.

Kallas argued that the negotiations promoted by the American side favor Moscow’s interests and said that Ukraine has not capitulated so far thanks to European support. She called for the European Union to be present at the negotiating table in order to balance the position of Donald Trump’s administration and defend Ukraine’s interests.

European leaders are also participating in the talks in Oslo, including Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, as well as representatives of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Poland.

Kallas stated that Europe cannot make free concessions to Russia and that the objective must be a lasting and just peace. She accused Moscow of refusing a ceasefire in the energy sector, intensifying its bombardment of Ukraine, and threatening the security of the Black Sea. Relations between the United States and Europe have deteriorated following the Trump administration’s rapprochement with Moscow and its call for new elections to be held in Ukraine, despite the constitutional restrictions applicable during wartime.