Putin ‘laughing’ as Europeans fall into his ‘trap’ on Ukrainian land concession, says Kallas

The European Union’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has warned that calls for Ukraine to cede territory to Russia risk playing into a “trap” set by Vladimir Putin, accusing the Kremlin leader of showing no genuine interest in peace. 

Speaking in an interview with the BBC on Friday, the EU diplomacy chief dismissed suggestions that Kyiv should compromise on land as part of a deal to end the three-year war, insisting that Moscow had yet to make “one single concession”. 

“The discussion is all about what Ukraine should give up, what the concessions that Ukraine is willing to make, whereas we are forgetting that Russia has not made one single concession,” she said. “They are the ones who are the aggressor here, they are the ones who are brutally attacking another country and killing people.” 

Kallas argued that rewarding Putin with Ukrainian territory would only embolden further aggression. “This is exactly the trap that Russia wants us to walk into,” she stressed. 

The comments come after US President Donald Trump last week met Putin in Alaska before hosting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and several European leaders at the White House – including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.  

While Trump has publicly called for an end to the fighting, Kallas questioned the Kremlin’s willingness to engage. 

“Russia is just dragging feet. It’s clear that Russia does not want peace,” she said. “President Trump has been repeatedly saying that the killing has to stop and Putin is just laughing, not stopping the killing, but increasing the killing and increasing the bombings on Ukraine. You can’t possibly negotiate under bombs.” 

The Estonian politician underlined that any credible peace process must begin with a truce and be anchored in long-term guarantees for Ukraine’s security. “It is not just truce or ceasefire but it has to be a long-term solution… that’s why we are discussing security guarantees so Putin doesn’t try again. The US needs to be part of them," she said. 

On Monday, US President Trump said “Europe is the first line of defence”, adding “but we will help, we will be involved” as he did not reject the idea of US peacekeepers on the ground in Ukraine. 

Kallas also called for tougher pressure on Moscow, pointing to the role of Western sanctions. “The Americans have the leverage with sanctions and tariffs to pressure Russia to negotiations,” she said, adding that the EU is preparing its 19th package of restrictive measures. 

Looking back at the Alaska meeting, she regretted that Putin already scored political wins. “Putin got what he wanted. He wanted the picture, but he got so much more. He got a welcoming in America and then he also wanted the sanctions not to be put in place, which he also achieved.”