Ukraine: EU's Kallas warns against Russian mediator 'trap'

Kaja Kallas warned EU member states against getting sidetracked by debates over who would represent the bloc in future Ukraine peace talks. She said Russia is already selecting suitable participants while encouraging discussion about who should talk to Moscow. Kallas emphasized negotiations as a team effort with roles such as “good cops” and “bad cops,” arguing that substance and strategy matter more than the identity of negotiators. Moscow has suggested Gerhard Schroder as mediator, and other figures have also been proposed. Ukraine wants Europe to have a stronger voice and presence in negotiations, especially as the United States appears distracted by the Middle East. Some EU officials doubt the EU can replace the US as mediator given extensive support for Ukraine.

"“It's a trap that Russia wants us to walk into, that we discuss who talks to them, while they are already picking who is suitable and who is not,” she told reporters on the sidelines of an EU foreign ministers' meeting in the Cypriot port city of Limassol. “Let's not walk into that trap.”"

"“Negotiations [are] always a team effort. You have 'good cops,' you have 'bad cops,' you have a strategy. The substance is much more important than the who.”"

"“Europe must be involved in the negotiations,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote this month. “It is important for it to have a strong voice and presence in this process, and it is worth determining who will represent Europe specifically.”"

"“It is hard to see how the EU could become a mediator or broker in the talks and step in for the US, given how much we have supported Ukraine.”"

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