Kallas: EU cannot be a neutral mediator in Ukraine-Russia negotiations

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas stated that the European Union cannot act as a neutral mediator in any potential peace negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow.

The statement came after an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers in Limassol, Cyprus, where, among other things, the question of an EU negotiator was discussed.

According to Kallas, the EU openly supports Ukraine and defends its own security interests, which rules out the role of a neutral mediator. The European bloc, she said, should help the Ukrainian side in negotiations, but cannot take the position of an equidistant arbiter.

“Because we are defending Europe’s interests and Ukraine’s interests. Because Ukraine is also part of Europe… We cannot be mediators, we cannot be neutral, treating them equally. We are clearly on Ukraine’s side,” she explained.

Kallas believes that negotiations to end the war should take place directly between Kyiv and Moscow. She allowed for the participation of third countries in “shuttle diplomacy,” but stressed that the key issues can only be resolved by the parties to the conflict themselves.

“It is very important that we call on Ukraine and Russia to engage in dialogue, because there are many issues that only they themselves can resolve, and no one else. There may be countries engaged in shuttle diplomacy, but ultimately it is they who must sit down at the negotiating table to discuss those issues, which only they can resolve,” the diplomat said.

At the same time, Kallas confirmed that the specific question of an EU negotiator was indeed discussed at the Limassol meeting. However, she said that the bulk of the discussion was devoted not to personalities but to the substance of possible negotiations and the conditions for a potential end to the war — which must be preceded by a ceasefire.

Earlier the same day, Kallas called on Russia to withdraw its troops from Georgia and Moldova. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov described these demands as “idiotic.” Kallas had previously put herself forward as a negotiator with Russia, but the Western press reported that her candidacy was rejected by other European countries due to her staunchly anti-Russian stance.