Kallas Tells European Parliament US Negotiators Have Pushed Ukraine Toward Surrender

Since President Trump struck a diesel supply deal with Vladimir Putin and eased sanctions on Russia until April 2027, relations between Washington and Brussels have steadily worsened. On Tuesday, Oct. 20, the EU's top diplomat said so out loud.

Speaking in Strasbourg during a European Parliament debate on Russian strikes affecting Black Sea shipping, High Representative Kaja Kallas made a blunt accusation about American negotiators.

"Although American negotiators have been trying to push Ukraine into surrender for already almost two years, one and a half years now, why Ukraine hasn't surrendered on Putin's terms is because Europe has been supporting Ukraine," Kallas said.

She did not name individual negotiators. Her own timeframe shifted mid-sentence, from "almost two years" to "one and a half." No evidence was offered in her remarks beyond the characterization itself.

Why Kallas wants Europe at the table

Kallas's practical point was about sanctions. Russia wants them lifted, she said, and the decision belongs to the EU. "Europe needs to be around that table because they are European decisions."

She said she presented EU foreign ministers in February 2026 with what she called a "maximalist plan" for entering talks. Her reasoning: "If Russia is presenting their maximalist demands and requests, we should put our maximum demands on the table to balance these negotiations."

Several MEPs complained that Europe has no peace strategy. Kallas answered, "That is not true."

"We are not giving these things up for free," she said, adding that the aim is a peace that is "long-lasting and just," not a pause that lets Russia attack again.

Kallas's case on sanctions and ceasefires

Kallas claimed that sanctions have deprived Russia of €1 trillion ($1.12 trillion) that could have financed the war. That figure is hers, and she cited no breakdown.

She also said Ukraine has accepted several ceasefire initiatives, including an energy ceasefire, a Black Sea arrangement and a broader truce proposed about 18 months ago, while Russia refused them. She accused Moscow of weaponizing food supplies through an armed Black Sea blockade and of intensifying bombing ahead of winter. Romania and Bulgaria have recently reported Russian drone strikes off their territorial waters.

She also rejected the idea that a nuclear-armed state should simply be given what it wants to avoid escalation. "If we say that, then everybody is under threat," she said.

What Washington has said and done

The Trump administration's stated position is different. Trump has accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of being unwilling to reach a deal, and has said Zelenskyy is "more difficult to deal with" than Putin. He has also called for new elections in Ukraine, which are barred under wartime law.

The diesel purchase and the suspension of some sanctions were an attempt to bring fuel prices down, according to RBC Ukraine's account of the administration's rationale. The sanctions relief runs through April 2027. Euronews reports Trump got no Russian concessions in return.

Zelenskyy has said he feels betrayed by Trump. "I believe steps have been taken to convince Ukraine to capitulate," he told Bloomberg in a recent interview.

RBC Ukraine also reports that the Pentagon has not approved delivery of Patriot missiles Ukraine has already paid for under the PURL program, which is funded by allied purchases of U.S. weapons. The Pentagon has not been quoted explaining the delay.

The Oslo talks and the winter

Kallas spoke as a new round of peace talks took place in Oslo, Norway. The sources do not detail who is at the table or what has been agreed.

Her remarks put the transatlantic split on the record at the highest level of EU foreign policy. Brussels is arguing that any deal lifting sanctions needs European sign-off. The Trump administration has already eased some restrictions on its own authority.

What remains open is whether European governments can turn Kallas's "maximum demands" into a seat in the negotiations before Russia's winter bombing campaign and the April 2027 end of the U.S. sanctions relief.