MOSCOW, RUSSIA – JULY 31 (RUSSIA OUT) Russian President Vladimir Putin smiles throughout Russian-Laotian talks on the Kremlin on July 31, 2025 in Moscow, Russia. (Photo by Contributor/Getty Images)
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Russian President Vladimir Putin just isn’t truly focused on negotiating when he meets his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump to debate the warfare in Ukraine, European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas instructed CNBC on Tuesday.
European officers and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy have expressed considerations at being sidelined from the Putin-Trump assembly in Alaska on Friday. The Ukrainian chief warned that Russia is planning additional offensives and can’t be trusted, whereas European leaders have been scrambling to safe Ukraine a seat on the desk.
“In order to have any deal implemented, you need Europe and you need Ukraine. So it is clear that Putin is just pretending to negotiate,” Kallas mentioned on CNBC’s “Squawk Box Europe.”
“Putin doesn’t want Zelenskyy around that table, because that would reveal that he actually doesn’t want to negotiate, and he just wants to have a picture with President Trump and also postpone sanctions,” she mentioned. CNBC has contacted the Kremlin for a response to Kallas’ claims and is awaiting a response.
European officers and Zelenskyy have been sidelined from the Putin-Trump assembly in Alaska on Friday, which has brought about a lot irritation. Zelenskyy has warned that Russia is planning additional offensives and can’t be trusted, whereas European leaders have been scrambling to attempt to affect Trump and get Ukraine a seat on the desk.
European leaders, together with Zelenskyy, are set to satisfy for a digital summit in a while Tuesday, which will reportedly focus on ways to pressure Russia, the destiny of Ukrainian territories seized by Russia and potential safety ensures for Kyiv. Trump has additionally been invited.
U.S. has threatened, however not but applied sanctions on Russia. European officers have lengthy been attempting to stress Washington D.C. to implement measures, which might put stress on Putin.
Ahead of the talks between Trump and Putin, considerations have additionally grown that the U.S. president might pursue a resolution that might be unfavourable for Ukraine.
Trump advised on Monday that there might “some swapping” of territory as a part of a peace deal although he insisted the U.S. “would try to get some of that territory back for Ukraine.”
The EU’s Kallas on Tuesday mentioned no deal may very well be applied behind Ukraine’s again. When requested about how the EU might react ought to Trump conform to cede some Ukrainian territory to Russia, she mentioned: “How would that work in practice, like really, if Ukraine doesn’t agree to this, then how would it really work?”
Putin clearly simply wants concessions, she mentioned, including that earlier than any talks about ceding territory, a ceasefire must be mentioned.
“Just to recall that Ukraine agreed to unconditional ceasefire already five months ago, and since then, Putin and Kremlin, Russia has just been playing games,” Kallas mentioned.
“Russia could stop this war today. Just stop bombing the civilians and civilian infrastructure, and the war would be over,” she added.
The EU diplomat additionally addressed tensions inside the bloc relating to its strategy to the warfare.
Hungary, which has beforehand created hurdles for the approval of EU sanctions in opposition to Russia, this week selected not to endorse a assertion by the bloc that mentioned Ukraine should be free to determine its personal future.
“We definitely also need to discuss our working methods, because this is a crucial time for Europe, it is a crucial time for our security, and we need to be able to adopt decisions. We have been able to adopt decisions so far, but it’s of course, increasingly more difficult,” Kallas mentioned.
— CNBC’s Holly Ellyatt and Silvia Amaro contributed to this report.