‘Why should Russia talk to us?’

February 1, 2026

TL;DR

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas stated the bloc has nothing to offer Russia and will pursue 'more pressure' instead of direct talks.
Kallas dismissed reopening diplomatic channels, noting the US concessions to Ukraine and her past descriptions of Putin.
France and Italy have called for the EU to appoint a special envoy to the Kremlin to avoid being sidelined in potential peace talks.
Russian officials, including Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, also see little prospect for meaningful dialogue with current European leaders.
Kallas's priority includes supporting Ukraine with 60 billion euro in military aid through 2027.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico accused Kallas of acting out of hatred regarding Russian energy imports and announced plans to sue the EU over the embargo, joined by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

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