EU’s Kallas says Putin is ‘weaker than ever’ on Ukraine

EU’s Kallas Says Putin Weaker Than Ever, Not Ready to Negotiate

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told reporters on Monday that Russian President Vladimir Putin is “in a weaker position than he has ever been before,” following a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels where the bloc adopted new sanctions over Russia’s forced deportation of Ukrainian children and advanced plans for a more active European role in potential peace talks.

Kallas Dismisses Putin’s Peace Signals

Kallas’s remarks came in direct response to Putin’s comments on May 9, when the Russian president suggested following Victory Day celebrations in Moscow that the war in Ukraine is “coming to an end”. Asked whether Putin had finally understood that Russia cannot outlast Ukraine and was ready to negotiate, Kallas said the ministers had analyzed what his messages meant and concluded they reflected weakness rather than genuine willingness to talk.dw

“We see that they are losing on the battlefield a lot of lives. There is growing discontent in the Russian society,” Kallas said at the post-meeting press conference. “That is why they are also turning off the internet, that people could not access the actual news. That is why also their deep strikes that Ukraine has made have really made an impact. The support for Putin’s war is going down”.europa

She added that despite the shift in Putin’s tone, “we are not at the point where actually they would genuinely negotiate, because they are still presenting maximum claims”.europa

Sanctions Target Forced Deportation of Children

The EU Council on Monday imposed sanctions on 16 individuals and seven entities linked to Russia’s systematic forced deportation of Ukrainian children, with the bloc estimating that approximately 20,500 children have been deported or forcibly relocated since the start of the conflict. Those targeted include officials from Russia’s Ministry of Education, politicians from occupied regions, and leaders of youth camps and military-patriotic organizations. The United Kingdom separately sanctioned 85 individuals and entities over the same issue on Monday.reuters

Kallas described the abduction of Ukrainian children as “one of its worst” horrors and called it “a calculated Russian attack on Ukraine’s future”.europa

EU Eyes Direct Talks With Russia

Ministers also discussed the prospect of direct EU engagement with Russia. Kallas said EU foreign ministers will take up the question at an informal gathering in Lefkosia, Cyprus, on May 27–28, stressing that the bloc must first agree internally on its demands and red lines before approaching Moscow. European Council President António Costa said last week he saw “potential” for such talks if Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky supported the idea, but noted that “nobody has seen any sign from Russia that they want effectively to engage in serious negotiations”.themoscowtimes

The broader backdrop includes the EU’s formal approval in April of a 90 billion euro loan for Ukraine, designed to cover two-thirds of the country’s financial needs for 2026 and 2027, with about 60 billion euros allocated to defense and 30 billion to budgetary support.reuters