Kallas: Russia Is Not Ready for Good-Faith Negotiations

To achieve a just peace, it is necessary to demand concrete concessions from Moscow and not allow another attack on Ukraine.

Russia is not showing willingness to conduct peace talks in good faith, while at the same time advancing maximalist demands. Therefore Europe should ensure a balance of positions at the negotiating table and demand concrete concessions from Moscow.

This was stated by the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Catherine (Kaja) Kałaas in Paris, where the G7 foreign ministers meeting is taking place, according to Ukrinform.

Commenting on the upcoming round of talks in Abu Dhabi, Kallas noted that she does not place high hopes on it, as she does not see signs that Russia is ready to negotiate.

"We would like to see a ceasefire and a real negotiation process. We also expect Russia to show goodwill—for example, a halt to daily killings of civilians and attacks on civilian infrastructure. So far we do not see anything of the kind," she stressed.

Separately, Kallas commented on reports about possible U.S. intentions to discuss with Russia the architecture of European security. According to her, such a system of agreements already exists, because Russia has signed at least 30 international treaties, in which it undertook to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of other states.

"The problem is that Russia does not comply with these agreements," the diplomat noted.

She reminded of the Budapest Memorandum, under which Ukraine gave up nuclear weapons in exchange for security guarantees, in particular Russia's obligation not to attack it.

Kallas also emphasized that Europe must participate in discussing issues that concern its security, including sanctions against Russia and frozen Russian assets. According to her, there is an agreement not to unblock these assets until Moscow pays reparations.

To achieve a just and lasting peace, the diplomat stressed, it is necessary to ensure accountability for war crimes and guarantees that Russia will not launch a new attack.

Kalras added that the European Commission, together with EU foreign ministers, has already formed a list of key European interests. This should help balance the positions of the parties during negotiations, since the absence of clear demands on Russia cannot be an effective strategy.

Negotiations between Ukraine, the United States, and Russia.

10-11 November in the UAE will host the first in February of in-person trilateral talks of Ukraine, the United States, and Russia. Negotiations in this format began in the autumn 2025, after the Americans brought a peace plan to Kyiv, part of which Kyiv categorically did not like, as it proposed giving up Ukrainian territory. Meetings were halted after the start of the war against Iran and the shift of American focus to the Middle East.

During the talks, Ukraine and Russia failed to fully align their positions: Moscow continued to insist on territorial concessions, Ukraine rejected this option and proposed stopping hostilities along the current lines, while the United States pushed a “demilitarized zone” with foreign observers. The parties developed a 28-point plan but could not approve it. However, a significant consequence of the talks was the resumption of prisoner exchanges.

3 November Steve Vitkoff announced a new round of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the talks would address security guarantees after the war and issues of reconstruction.

Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly stressed that the issue of ending the war can be resolved only at the highest level, but he believes that meetings of delegations can bring negotiations closer to a presidential level.

Special envoys Trump’s Jared and Vitkoff, before the trilateral talks on Ukraine and Russia in Abu Dhabi, will meet with representatives of Ukraine, the EU, NATO, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and Italy to coordinate positions on European security and Ukraine’s future after the war.