In a sharp rebuke from Strasbourg, the European Union's foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, accused the United States of pressuring Ukraine to capitulate on terms that align with Russian President Vladimir Putin's interests. Speaking to the European Parliament on Tuesday, Kallas said American negotiators had been trying to steer Ukraine toward surrender for nearly two years, a claim that underscores the widening rift between Brussels and Washington over the war.
"American negotiators have been trying to push Ukraine into surrender for already almost two years, one and a half years now," Kallas said. "Why Ukraine hasn't surrendered on Putin's terms is because Europe has been supporting Ukraine." Her remarks came as a new round of peace talks convened in Oslo, Norway, with senior officials from the European Commission, NATO, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and Poland in attendance.
A widening transatlantic divide
Relations between the EU and the US have deteriorated since President Donald Trump struck a diesel supply deal with Putin and eased sanctions until April 2027 without securing any Russian concessions. Trump has also called for new elections in Ukraine, which are prohibited under martial law, and complained that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was "more difficult to deal with" than Putin. Zelenskyy, in turn, has said he feels betrayed by the American president.
Kallas argued that European presence at the negotiating table is essential to counterbalance the White House's increasingly Moscow-leaning positions. "If Russia is presenting their maximalist demands and requests, we should put our maximum demands on the table to balance these negotiations," she told MEPs. She stressed that Europe's decisions on sanctions are not negotiable without European involvement: "We are not giving these things up for free because it is not only peace that could be there, but it's also that this peace is long-lasting and just."
The High Representative also accused Russia of endangering security in the Black Sea through its armed blockade, weaponising food supplies, and attempting to trigger a global famine. Romania and Bulgaria have recently reported Russian drone strikes near their territorial waters, a threat that Kallas has previously highlighted in warnings about global food security.
Kallas censured Moscow for refusing an energy ceasefire and for intensifying its bombing campaign against Ukraine as winter approaches. "Ukraine wants peace more than anybody because they have been under bombardment for already four years now, and the fifth year is going on," she said. "And Europe wants peace. It is not right to say that we don't want peace. The only one who doesn't want peace is Russia. Let's be very clear-eyed about this."
Her comments come amid reports that US envoy Steve Witkoff is set to meet Zelenskyy in Oslo before heading to Moscow for talks with Putin, a diplomatic choreography that has raised concerns in European capitals about being sidelined. Meanwhile, Zelenskyy has accused the US of delaying Patriot missile deliveries, further straining ties, as detailed in recent reports.
Kallas has been among Europe's most vocal critics of Trump's turn toward Moscow. Last week, she described the diesel deal as a gift to Putin. Despite the growing disagreements, Brussels insists that engagement with the US should continue to influence the peace process and defend Ukraine's interests. The EU also faces the challenge of funding Ukraine's estimated €70 billion shortfall, a topic that will test the bloc's unity in the coming months, as analysts have noted.
In her address, Kallas also dismissed complaints from some MEPs that Europe lacked a coherent peace strategy. She referred to a document she had presented to EU capitals outlining demands that Moscow should be expected to fulfill in any future settlement. "That is not true," she said, insisting that Europe has a clear position. The coming weeks will show whether that position can hold against the gravitational pull of a US administration seemingly eager to accommodate Putin's ambitions.
