Kyiv, Aug 22: The European Union’s foreign policy chief has warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s demand for Ukrainian territorial concessions in return for ending the ongoing war is a deliberate “trap.”
In an interview with the BBC, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas criticized recent discussions suggesting Ukraine should give up land, stating that such concessions would reward an aggressor that has made no compromises of its own.
Kallas emphasized that the narrative is dangerously shifting toward what Ukraine should relinquish, while ignoring that Russia initiated the war, continues to attack civilians, and has not offered any concessions. She underscored that conceding territory would effectively legitimize Russia’s aggression and undermine international norms.
The remarks come amid renewed but faltering US-led peace efforts.
Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump discussed the war with Putin during a brief meeting in Alaska, followed by hosting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders at the White House.
However, a formal peace proposal remains elusive, with multiple details still unresolved.
One of the major sticking points is Ukraine’s insistence on postwar Western security guarantees to prevent further Russian aggression.
Kallas noted that negotiations on this front are ongoing among various countries, but said that reaching a consensus remains distant.
She also accused Russia of dragging its feet in peace negotiations, stating, “It’s clear Russia does not want peace.”
Meanwhile, Ukraine has escalated its long-range strikes on Russian infrastructure critical to the war effort.
On Friday, Ukrainian forces targeted the Druzhba oil pipeline in Russia’s Bryansk region using HIMARS rockets and drones.
The Unecha oil pumping station, a key facility on the pipeline route, was hit.
Ukrainian commander Robert Brovdy (known as Magyar) confirmed the attack, which marks the third strike on the pipeline in a short period.
The Druzhba pipeline is vital to Hungary and Slovakia, the only EU countries still receiving Russian oil, as the other 25 EU member states ceased imports after the 2022 invasion.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto condemned the latest attack as a threat to his country’s energy security and accused Ukraine of attempting to draw Hungary into the conflict.
Hungary, under Prime Minister Viktor Orban, has taken a divergent stance from most EU nations by maintaining ties with Moscow.
Orban recently visited Putin in Moscow, making him one of the few European leaders to do so since the war began.
The situation highlights the deepening geopolitical tensions and the widening divide within the EU over the handling of the Ukraine-Russia conflict. (AP)
