The EU’s chief diplomat, Kaja Kallas, has made it clear that she is ready to represent the European Union in possible negotiations with Russia, but stressed that the bloc should not fall into Moscow’s “trap” regarding who exactly should lead the dialogue. She said this ahead of an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers in Limassol, Cyprus, where the EU’s position in negotiations to end the war in Ukraine is to be discussed, according to a Radio Liberty correspondent.
“I am the highest representative of the European Union (for foreign affairs and security policy – ed.) and you can read the description of my work in the treaties. And of course it also means representing Europe. But for that we have to be united,” Callas said when asked by journalists whether she was ready to be a negotiator for the European Union.
The diplomat emphasised that negotiations cannot be reduced to disputes about personalities.
“I believe that this is the trap that Russia wants us to fall into – that we discuss who exactly should talk to it, and they already determine who is suitable for them and who is not. We should not fall into this trap,” the official said.
She added that negotiations are “teamwork” with “good cops” and “bad cops”.
There is speculation in Brussels that Kallas could play the role of the “bad cop” at the table of potential Ukraine-Russia-U.S. talks, where she would “take the hit” and express a tough stance instead of Ukraine.
The content is much more important than the question of who,” Kallas told reporters and recalled that back in February she presented a document with a list of such positions.
“For example, if Ukraine is required to make certain concessions on military restrictions, then similar demands should apply to Russia if this is to be part of the agreement,” she recalled.
Kallas also mentioned the presence of Russian troops in Georgia and Moldova as a matter of European security:
“So that these troops are not there and that they don’t interfere in elections in different countries. So, of course, this is a maximalist approach, but so is the approach of Russia, which also makes maximalist demands.”
The ministers should discuss all these issues at today’s meeting and “clearly define our interests,” the EU high representative added.
Kallas’ statements came amid discussions in Europe over who could represent the EU or Europe as a whole in the event of potential negotiations with Russia to end the war against Ukraine.
Back in early May, Kallas sharply criticised the idea of appointing former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder as EU mediator in the talks. At the time, she said that if Europe allowed Russia to determine the negotiator on its behalf, it would be “not very wise.” As a former lobbyist for Russian state-owned companies, Schroeder cannot be seen as a neutral figure, Kallas said.
The idea of Schroeder’s candidacy was publicly promoted by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who called him the “best candidate” for the role of EU-Russia negotiator.
Later, on 18 May, Politico named the names of possible candidates for the special envoy for peace talks on Ukraine on behalf of Europe. Among them are former Chancellor Angela Merkel, who rejected such a prospect, current Finnish President Alexander Stubb, who said he was ready for this role, and former Italian prime minister and economist Mario Draghi, who has great prestige in the EU, so far he has not commented publicly on these talks.
Meanwhile, Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide, who has been named by Politico among others as a possible candidate, told Radio Liberty that he has not put forward his candidacy and does not know where such talk originated. He added that Europe could not fulfil the role of a mediator because it is on Ukraine’s side, while at the same time someone should speak on behalf of Europe.