Overview
- EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Europe should place conditions on Russia rather than on Ukraine for any end-of-war settlement.
- She plans to submit the proposed list to EU governments in the coming days, with possible items including the return of abducted Ukrainian children and limits on Russia’s armed forces.
- European officials cite roughly €210 billion in Russian assets frozen in Europe as potential leverage in negotiations.
- The push marks a shift after talks largely involved Ukraine, the United States and Russia, with Europeans only intermittently consulted.
- Some officials have floated appointing an EU envoy, though Kallas says a unified message must come first, as France’s Emmanuel Bonne recently held talks in Moscow.