Kallas Draws a Line: No Ukraine Peace Deal Without the EU

Kaja Kallas isn't letting the EU get sidelined. Speaking Friday at the Council of the Baltic Sea States Ministerial Meeting in Warsaw, the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy said any peace deal between Russia and Ukraine must include the bloc if it is ever going to be implemented.

She also made the EU's role crystal clear: it is not a mediator. The bloc stands firmly on Ukraine's side, she said, and any agreement has to guarantee Russia can never re-arm and attack again.

Money is moving. Kallas said the EU is adding €4.36 billion under its support loan for Ukraine — then conceded that more is needed. She warned Ukraine faces another hard winter, with Moscow expected to target power stations.

The stakes are already visible on the ground. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday his government is scrambling to restore energy supplies after recent Russian strikes, with Kyiv hit hardest as people and businesses endure prolonged power and water outages. Meanwhile, the death toll from attacks on the village of Komyshuvakha in Zaporizhzhia region climbed to 50, according to Ukraine's State Emergency Service.

Kallas's remarks land as peace talk chatter heats up. President Donald Trump said Thursday after meeting with Putin envoy Kirill Dmitriev that a deal to end the war was 'very close,' hinting at something bigger that could touch all of Europe. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters Friday that Moscow has specific information on the potential agreement — but offered no details when pressed.

So the shape of any deal remains foggy, while the EU is staking out its seat at the table before the ink dries.