EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas warned that Ukraine land concessions would reward aggression. In her first UK interview since EU leaders joined White House talks with Kyiv, she said that letting Russia keep occupied territory is a “trap that Putin wants us to walk into”. She called proposals for Ukraine land concessions a Kremlin ploy.
Security Guarantees, Not Paper Promises
Kallas, who is on the Kremlin’s “wanted list,” pushed for “credible and robust” security guarantees for Ukraine. She emphasized that promises should not be “just on paper”.
“The strongest security guarantee is a strong Ukrainian army,” she said.
She noted that a “coalition of the willing” must decide what each member can contribute and in what form. However, this process still lacks many concrete steps.
Pressure on Moscow and a Tight Timeline
Kallas said the EU compiled a 19th sanctions package to increase pressure on Moscow. She argued the recent Alaska meeting gave Putin “everything he wanted”. This could harden his stance in negotiations. Former US president Donald Trump set a two-week window to gauge the peace track, adding urgency to debates over Ukraine land concessions.
Allies Sceptical of Putin’s Intent
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia is dodging a leader-level meeting. He urged clarity on a security-guarantees architecture within 7–10 days. He condemned a major Russian air assault that struck 11 locations. At least one person was killed, and more than a dozen were injured in Lviv, near the Polish border. European leaders echoed scepticism: Finland’s Alexander Stubb said Putin is “rarely to be trusted,” while France’s Emmanuel Macron called him “a predator, an ogre at our doorstep,” doubting progress toward peace.
Kallas’s message is blunt: Ukraine land concessions won’t end the war—they would entrench it. The focus, she argues, should be on real guarantees and sustained pressure, not shortcuts that play into the Kremlin’s hands
