EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has warned against the EU agreeing to Russia’s proposed sequence of talks on Ukraine, saying it would allow Moscow to “divert the attention away” from its actions and ultimately leave Europe “in a worse place.”
She welcomed the US side “finally admitting what I said already one and a half years ago – that for any deal between Russia and Ukraine … you also need the Europeans.”
“I hope that we are just not at the table, but we are actually also really influencing the outcome of these negotiations.”
She said:
“The most important is that we keep to our agreement that first the ceasefire, then peace agreement and then any kind of other talks … when Russia is still presenting their maximum demands, then we should also stick to the maximum demands and start to negotiate from there. …
Kallas warned that there is a risk of Europeans “actually walking into the traps that Russia is setting” as Moscow is trying to “divert the attention away from that there is no ceasefire and actually [get us to] start to listen to their claims.”
“If we walk into that trap that we start to discuss … the European security architecture, then I don’t think we are in a better place. We are actually in worse place.”
She continued:
“Let’s focus on what it is at hand. We have one aggressor and one victim. The aggressor does not have security concerns, as nobody has ever attacked them. They have attacked others. I mean, keep the focus, people.”
Kallas is also very clear that she wants to be part of the EU negotiating team, saying she was appointed to represent Europe on foreign and security policy.
“I know that the Russians don’t want me, but do we have a say on who is representing Russia? No, we don’t.”
She also said that ultimately she would not be “representing myself,” but bound by any mandate given to her by the 27.
Slightly amused/frustrated with repeated questions on what’s holding up the EU with deciding on its representation, she eventually hits back with this line:
“Well, we have institutions in place, so we can’t just send any person that has no institutional role like the Americans are sending. Clearly, we should not copy the same patterns.”
Asked why she thinks the Russians do not want her to be involved in the negotiations, she says:
“They don’t want [anyone] strong on the other side because they want to push their through their maximum demands, like they have always done. Because … their tactics is very clear: at first you present threats and ultimatums, you use force, and then you will just wait, because there will always be people in the west who will offer you something you didn’t have before. And every time you go further.
So, of course, if you negotiate with anybody, you want the other side to be as weak as possible so that you can get what you want.”
It’s a pretty chilly morning in Dublin, but the European Council president, António Costa, is keen to signal to his hosts that he’s ready to do business, showing off a cute Irish green scarf to Ireland’s Micheál Martin.
Today’s host, Ireland’s Micheál Martin, said discussions will focus on what Europe needs to consider any future Ukraine settlement a just and sustainable peace.
“The substance of any peace agreement is as important as who represents Europe. Europe needs to be very clear in terms of what would constitute a sustainable peace for the continent, well into the future. Security guarantees are a significant part of that, and also the reconstruction of Ukraine.”
He said the outstanding questions on Europe’s priorities and representation need to be decided “in the next week or two.”
On AI, he said the meeting will “explore the implications of AI, positive … plus the potential negatives, and the balance between regulation and innovation.”
Estonian prime minister Kristen Michal has warned that Ukraine faces “winter … like hell again,” with Russia “bombing everything” as he urged European leaders to double down on their backing for Kyiv.
“Putin has to change his goals because the war, aggression, and killing of women, children, and civilians would stop right now if he gave an order.”
He added:
“The European plan for a while [has been] quite simple: help Ukraine push Russia and so should it be.”
Michal warned that Putin’s attempt to discuss the broader European security architecture before agreeing to end the war is “a mental trap” by Russia’s Putin.
“Does anybody really think that Europe is a threat to Russia? This is not sane talk to be honest.
So, I would say that our red line is quite clear: we should have peace, on Ukraine’s terms, and after that everything can be talked, but not before and not at the same time.”
The Estonian PM also said that if the EU needs to send its negotiators, the European Council president António Costa and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas are “the persons to do it”.
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen insisted it is “self-explanatory” that Europe should be included in the peace talks on Ukraine “to safeguard our interests, but also to support Ukraine.”
“We will come forward as a commission with a proposal for the financing of the Ukrainian needs in 2027, and with the 22nd sanctions package before the next European Council,” she said.
von der Leyen also said today’s talks would focus on “the risks … but also the opportunities’ associated with the rise of AI.
in Dublin
EU leaders will continue talks on their diplomatic and financial support for Ukraine today, after Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged them to “pay attention” to Vladimir Putin’s demands on security.
European leaders meeting in Dublin on Thursday rejected calls that there was any need to recreate a European security architecture, while restating that Russia needed to stop attacking Ukraine.
European Council president António Costa summed it up:
“There is no need to reinvent the wheel. Europe had a functioning European security architecture until it was first, gradually undermined, and ultimately destroyed by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.”
Speaking to reporters the UK prime minister Andy Burnham said Europe “in the wider sense” i.e not just the EU, would decide on its own arrangements.
“In terms of the wider point, there was a very strong feeling that you know, Russian demands to put the question of European security architecture or European security arrangements into this negotiation – that is not up for negotiation... It is for Europe to decide its own arrangements. Europe and Europe alone. And again, I am talking in the wider sense when I say that.”
Around 40 countries, most of the attendees of the European Political Community summit on Thursday, signed a declaration drafted by France declaring that European states “bear a primary responsibility and are assuming greater responsibility for the security of Europe”.
EU leaders are continuing talks in Dublin on Friday, focusing on AI. But following interventions from Giorgia Meloni and Friedrich Merz, they will also discuss Europe’s role in international peace talks and the question of future financial support for Ukraine.
EU leaders are meeting in Dublin today for discussions on Ukraine and AI, among others, as they continue their search for a lead EU negotiator in any peace talks with Russia.
Their discussions are becoming increasingly urgent, after Ukraine and Russia have agreed to expand the next round of peace negotiations to include European countries, US envoy Jared Kushner said last night after meeting Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Dublin.
“This will allow us to address the broader postwar European security arrangements alongside the territorial issues between Ukraine and Russia,” Kushner said later on X.
But, as he somewhat mockingly said on Wednesday,
“If Europe could identify one person to speak on their behalf, that would be a bigger achievement than getting the Russians to include them in the negotiations.”
Ouch.
Let’s see what comes out of these discussions, with the leaders also expected to talk about AI.
Elsewhere, I am still keeping an eye on the Dutch government crisis as Rob Jetten works hard to avoid the collapse of his minority cabinet.
It’s Friday, 13 November 2026, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.