US-Russia talks may pile pressure on Kyiv to make concessions, says EU foreign policy chief

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has sounded a warning that talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff are likely to pile pressure on Ukraine to make concessions.

In an interview, Kallas expressed her concern over the upcoming meeting between Witkoff and Putin, stating that she fears all the pressure will be put on Ukraine to make concessions and obligations. She argued that while Russia started this war and continues to target civilians and civilian infrastructure every single day, peace should not be achieved at the cost of forced territorial changes.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is engaged in diplomatic efforts to rally support from European allies against Russian aggression. He recently held calls with several world leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, where they focused on negotiations to end the war and security guarantees.

The EU remains concerned about any plan that could enshrine forced changes of borders and fail to punish war crimes. Kallas warned that allowing Russia to change borders by force would set a dangerous precedent for the world.

Witkoff is expected to meet with Putin in Moscow, accompanied by Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner. The two men played an active role in negotiations over the Gaza peace deal and participated in weekend talks between senior Ukrainian and US officials.

Ukraine's President Zelenskyy has expressed his concerns about the proposed US plan, stating that tough issues still need to be worked through. He has also been under pressure after the sudden resignation of his head of cabinet, Andriy Yermak, amid an anti-corruption investigation.

The situation in Ukraine remains tense, with Russia making its biggest advances for a year in November. According to a recent study, Russia captured 701 sq km (270 sq miles) of Ukrainian territory, prompting concerns about the future of the war and potential diplomatic efforts.

omg u no wat's goin on rn? i'm lowkey worried bout ukraine & russia tensions they need 2 chill 4 a sec & focus on peace treaties instead of territorial changes it's like, russian started dis war & now dey wanna make concessions to trumps team? what's da deal wit dat?! i mean, eugene kallas is right, Russia can't just b makin moves without gettin caught & eu needs 2 speak up 4 ukraine zelenskyy is tryin but it's hard 4 him wiv all dis drama we need 2 support him & not let russia get away wif dis

I'm low-key worried about these talks between Witkoff, Putin, and Trump's crew... It seems like Russia is getting all the leverage here and Ukraine's gonna be the one taking the hit . I mean, Kallas said it herself - the EU is all about punishing war crimes and forcing Russia to take responsibility for their actions . Can't let them just change borders by force without facing the consequences . We need to keep the pressure on Putin and make sure Ukraine gets the support they deserve . And what's with this sudden resignation of Yermak? Is there more going on behind the scenes that we're not being told?

Oh man, this is not good! A meeting between Witkoff and Putin without any clear demands from Ukraine? It's like they're trying to put all the pressure on Ukraine to make concessions. And EU chief Kallas is right, it can't be done at the cost of forced territorial changes. I mean, Russia started this war and continues to attack civilians every day!

And what about Ukrainian President Zelenskyy's efforts to rally support from European allies? He needs strong backing now more than ever. But it seems like everyone is waiting for the US plan to figure out what's going on in Ukraine. Can't they see that Russia's not holding up their end of the bargain?

This whole situation just feels like a ticking time bomb. We need to find a way to put an end to this war and hold Russia accountable for its actions.

what's up guys, so i was reading this article about kaja kallas saying that talks between putin and witkoff are gonna put pressure on ukraine to make concessions... like, isn't russia already doing that with all their bombing and stuff? shouldn't we just focus on stopping the war instead of making deals that might help russia? i mean zelenskyy's got some good points too, like how forcing territorial changes would be super bad for the world... but at the same time, ukraine can't keep getting pushed around like this... [link to article](https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-europe-60441634/eu-rep-kaja-kallas-warns-of-russia-pressure-on-ukraine)

.. this is really concerning . I don't think we should be putting pressure on Ukraine to make concessions just because some talks are happening between Russia and the US. I mean, Russia started this war and it's been going on for so long already... Ukraine has been through enough . We can't let them give up their territory without even trying all other options first. And what's with this 'dangerous precedent' thing? Can we not just try to find a peaceful solution here? I think our EU leaders need to be more careful about how they approach these talks... it's not like we haven't seen enough of Russia's aggression already .

Man... I'm getting really worried about this situation . It sounds like the EU is right to be concerned about Russia trying to push Ukraine into concessions. Like, yeah they started this war and it's all about causing harm to civilians, but does that mean we gotta sacrifice their sovereignty too? I get that peace is a good thing, but not at any cost, you know?

And what's up with the whole US plan thing? I'm reading between the lines here... seems like they're trying to figure out ways to make Russia look like the villain and then try to broker some sort of deal. But what if it just sets a bad precedent for everyone else? We don't want another war because we thought we were being diplomatic, you feel me?

I hope Ukraine's president is keeping all these diplomats on their toes. He needs to stand firm and make sure they know that forcing concessions won't fly. Russia should be the ones taking concessions for causing all this destruction .

This meeting is gonna be super awkward for Ukraine

can you believe this is what's going on? eu chief is warning that talks between russian & trump envoy could force ukraine to make concessions... meanwhile zelenskyy is trying to rally support from europe against russian aggression. but it's like, russia started the war and they're the ones causing all the problems every day... shouldn't we be focusing on putting pressure on them to stop the violence instead? the eu is worried about any plan that could lead to forced changes in borders, that would be so bad for the world.

They're gonna try to just sweep this under the rug with some backroom deals? No way. Ukraine shouldn't be forced into concessions like it's nobody's business. Russia started this mess, not Ukraine. And what's up with these negotiations being kept behind closed doors? Transparency would be a good place to start. We can't have Russia rewriting its own rules here...

I'm getting really worried about this situation in Ukraine... it feels like the whole world is putting pressure on them to give up something big just so we can say we're making progress . Like, Russia started this war and they're still targeting civilians every day, but now we want peace at any cost? . And what's with these meetings between Trump's people and Putin? Is this really gonna help or just give Russia more ammo to use against Ukraine? The EU is right to be concerned about forced territorial changes... that sets a super bad precedent for the whole world!

The EU is trying to keep Ukraine from making any concessions to Russia. They think it's not fair that Russia started this whole thing and now they're pushing for changes in borders... Like, shouldn't peace just be about no more fighting? Not about having to give up land or whatever. Kallas seems worried that if Russia gets what they want, it'll set a bad precedent everywhere else. I get why Ukraine is under pressure though - their president just lost his top advisor in some kinda scandal and he needs to keep the EU on board with him. It's gonna be tough for Ukraine to hold out against all this pressure...

I'm getting really worried about this Ukraine situation ... Kaja Kallas makes some valid points that we shouldn't be pushing for concessions from Ukraine at all. I mean, they're already going through so much, it's like, can't Russia just take responsibility for its own actions? And what if it sets a precedent for other countries to do the same? It's not about finding a middle ground, it's about Russia respecting Ukrainian sovereignty and stopping this senseless war. My kids at school are learning about all this in class and I wish politicians would just talk more like regular people... can't we just find a way to resolve conflicts without forcing one side to give up its land?

I think Kallas is right on the money here... we cant just let one side bully another into concessions without any real commitment to peace... The world needs to be clear that there are consequences for breaking international law, and Russia's actions have been absolutely appalling since this started And what's with these backdoor negotiations? Can't they see that Ukraine needs support, not just some sweet deals with Putin?

I'm worried about this latest development . I mean, it's bad enough that Ukraine is already dealing with a lot of pressure, but if we're gonna make concessions to Russia just so they'll stop fighting, what's next? We gotta set boundaries for ourselves here . It sounds like Europe and the US are all over Russia's case, but it's not clear what we're actually getting in return .

I'm not saying Ukraine doesn't deserve our support, but if we start making concessions just to stop the fighting, where does that end? I've been following this situation for a while now, and every time things seem like they're gonna calm down, Russia finds some new way to escalate the violence . It's just not fair to Ukraine or anyone else who's trying to find a peaceful solution .

We need to make sure that any peace agreement we come up with holds everyone accountable, especially Russia . We can't let them get away with war crimes and expect everything to be okay . I'm hoping our leaders are thinking about this from a strong position, but it's hard not to feel like we're just spinning our wheels here .

I'm getting really worried about this Ukraine situation ... like, I get that Russia's all aggressive and stuff, but at what cost? Can't we just talk it out? It feels like every time someone thinks they've got a plan to end the war, there's always another twist. And what's with all these 'concessions' people are talking about? Ukraine's already losing so much territory, I don't think they can afford to give up more... and Russia's still bombing civilians - that's just not right . I wish some world leader would stand up and say, 'Hey, let's try something different here.' We need a plan that doesn't involve forcing one side to give up everything .

You know what's really weird here... it's how this whole Ukraine thing is being framed as if the West is just gonna roll over and let Putin get away with his aggression . Like, Kallas says Russia started the war and continues to target civilians, but you'd think that'd be enough of a reason for some serious consequences, not just talks and concessions . And what's up with Witkoff and Putin meeting without any guarantees or oversight? It smells like business as usual, not exactly the kind of diplomacy we need right now . Zelenskyy is right to be cautious - this doesn't feel like a win for Ukraine at all.

OMG this is soooo worrying! I mean, I get it that all parties wanna find peace but like, at what cost? Forcing Ukraine to make concessions just 'cause Russia's playing hardball sounds super unfair IMHO . Can't we just talk about a ceasefire and then figure out the whole border thing? Like, why do we gotta jump straight into forced territorial changes? That just sets a bad precedent worldwide. What if Russia starts wanting more land from other countries next? We can't let that happen!