EU’s Kallas urges US to step up pressure on Russia to end war in Ukraine

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas called on the US to step up pressure on Russia, saying Moscow must be squeezed into negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.

Speaking to reporters ahead of the second day of the EU leaders’ summit in Brussels on Friday, Kallas said there were no indications that Russia was willing to end the war or engage in a truce or peace process.

“We are working on the new sanctions package to put pressure on Russia. And, we, of course, hope that we do this with all our partners around the world,” she said.

“We are trying to convince also our American partners that if we want to end this war, then we have to squeeze the aggressor because it’s not only to end this war, but to make sure that there are no no more wars started by by Russia,” Kallas added.

Together with EU foreign ministers, she said she had prepared a list of European security concerns and demands that should be presented to Russia in any negotiations.

“We should also present to Russia” these concerns and avoid granting Moscow everything it wants without securing concessions in return, she said.

“But of course, you can see that with our American allies, it’s very difficult at the time,” Kallas added.

On Ukraine’s reliance on Starlink, Kallas said the satellite communication system remained essential for Kyiv and that Europe could not replace its capabilities in the short term.

She said EU leaders would also discuss European defense readiness, noting that the European Defense Agency had identified critical capabilities and industrial capacity gaps that Europe needed to address.

“The question is the implementation of this, and we need to do this as soon as possible, because we need the capabilities ourselves,” Kallas noted.