Medvedev Says EU Not Invited to Ukraine Talks, Mocks Kallas as Negotiator

Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev dismissed EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas as a potential negotiator on Friday, writing that nobody wants her representing Europe at Ukraine peace talks. In a post on the social platform Max, he called her "simply stupid" and argued that resistance to her has nothing to do with being a tough negotiator.

Medvedev also stressed that Brussels has no formal role yet, saying "no one has invited the EU to the talks." He took aim at Kallas for citing former Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko while making the case that she should represent the European Union, adding that "the Russians don't want to see her" in that position.

The comments landed as EU officials finished a week of shuttle diplomacy in Abu Dhabi, where they held separate talks with Ukraine and the US on security guarantees for Kyiv. Those discussions came ahead of trilateral negotiations with Russia, which the EU did not join.

Medvedev's broadside sharpens the question of who gets a seat at the table when Russia, Ukraine and the US sit down, with the EU so far kept on the outside of the central talks.