“Irrational” EU Leaders Sidelined in Peace Talks But NATO Pledges More Arms for Kyiv
"It is impossible to end the war between Russia and Ukraine without talking to Russia," the U.S. Secretary of State nailed down, criticising Kaja Kallas and her ilk.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks during a Cabinet Meeting hosted by President Donald Trump in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, D.C. on December 2, 2025.
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds / AFP
"It is impossible to end the war between Russia and Ukraine without talking to Russia," the U.S. Secretary of State nailed down, criticising Kaja Kallas and her ilk.
The European Union fears it may be sidelined in potential peace talks between Washington and Moscow, with decisions on the future of the Russia–Ukraine war being made over its head. In recent weeks, EU officials have scrambled to ‘adjust’ the U.S. proposal in an attempt to ensure it does not force Kyiv into concessions negotiated without Europe at the table.
In an interview with Fox News on Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio bluntly explained why Washington did not include European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas:
There are people who behave irrationally–those who believe that we should only talk to Ukraine and not talk to Russia at all. It is impossible to end the war between Russia and Ukraine without talking to Russia.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also stated “They (the EU) do not take part in the process because they are still obsessed with the idea of inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia.”
On Tuesday, December 2nd, U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner took an updated version of the American plan to end the war to Moscow, after talks with Kyiv. The Kremlin said Ukraine’s potential participation in NATO was “one of the key questions” and that it had been discussed.
The Kremlin also revealed that no “compromise” had been found on the crucial question of territories. Moreover, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters that the progress and nature of the negotiations were influenced by the recent successes of the Russian army on the battlefield, adding
Our Russian soldiers, through their military exploits, have helped make the assessments of our foreign partners regarding the paths to a peace settlement more appropriate.
However, the Kremlin insisted it was incorrect to say that President Putin had rejected the plan in its entirety. Peskov said they were grateful for the efforts of the Trump administration and that Russia was still ready “to meet as many times as needed to reach a peace settlement.”
As the U.S. officials returned from Moscow, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that his top negotiator Rustem Umerov and army ground forces chief Andriy Gnatov were headed to Brussels, where NATO foreign ministers were gathering. He said
Ukrainian representatives will brief their colleagues on what is known following yesterday’s contacts by the American side in Moscow.
The fresh talks come as NATO pledges to buy hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of U.S. arms for Kyiv.
The peace talks are ongoing–that is good–but at the same time we have to make sure that while they take place, and since we do not know when they will end, Ukraine is in the strongest possible position to keep the fight going.
Lukács Fux is currently a law student at Pázmány Péter Catholic University in Budapest. He served as an intern during the Hungarian Council Presidency and completed a separate internship in the European Parliament.
