Kallas: Europe must increase pressure on Moscow

2025-01-15 08:50:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Kallas: Europe must increase pressure on Moscow

European Union foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas.

European Union (EU) foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Kiev and its partners must continue to exert pressure on Russia to improve Ukraine's position in any eventual negotiations to end the war.

Speaking on January 14 in an interview with Radio Free Europe and several European newspapers, Kallas said that increasing economic pressure on Moscow and isolating it internationally are the only ways to prevent the possibility of Russia gaining the upper hand.

"We should not underestimate our capabilities and overestimate those of the Russians," Kallas said. "Russia sometimes seems like a mysterious power that cannot be defeated. That is not true. We are stronger both militarily and economically. We need to approach things from a position of strength."

The Russian economy has suffered several blows, such as interest rates rising above 20 percent, Gazprom has been forced to lay off 40 percent of its management staff, the labor market is "in a very bad state" and the Russian military has been forced to recruit North Korean soldiers to fight on Moscow's side, she said.

"All of this shows that they are not in a good position," she added.

Russia is convinced that time is on its side, but Kallas said she believes this claim is wrong and that Kiev's Western allies should further increase economic pressure.

"We see that their monetary reserves have been completely depleted. They have much less income than before from the sale of oil and gas," she said.

The European Union will discuss sanctions as it tries to decide on a 16th package to coincide with the war anniversary on February 24, an EU official told Radio Free Europe. The package will be substantive, despite the difficulty of finding new areas for sanctions, the official said.

The focus of the package is expected to be technical and anti-sanctions evasion measures. Discussions will also consider restrictions on imports of raw aluminum, tariffs on agricultural products, including chemicals used in fertilizers, and other measures to curb what is called Russia's dark fleet of oil tankers, the official said.

Kallas expressed confidence that the European Union will be able to maintain unity in policy on sending weapons and other aid to Ukraine, despite resistance from some European governments that are sympathetic to Russia.

The former Estonian prime minister said the European Union has maintained unity despite "difficult negotiations" with those governments.

"It's getting harder and harder," she admitted. "However, I still believe that we can represent a united position, because that's the only way we can stay strong."

The stronger Ukraine is on the battlefield, the stronger it will be at the negotiating table, she said.

Kallas also commented on US President-elect Donald Trump's statement that he will end the war quickly, saying that the world awaits Trump's plan.

If Trump, who is expected to be inaugurated on January 20, truly uses U.S. power to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin to withdraw troops from Ukraine and stop the bombing of civilians and civilian infrastructure, the war could end in time, she said.

But, she reiterated the EU's position that there should be no decision on Ukraine without Ukraine's consent, and this also applies to Europe.

"It is clear that whatever agreement is reached, Europe must be part of it. It is the task of the Ukrainians to decide what kind of agreement is acceptable to them," she said.

Whether Putin really wants peace is another matter, she said, warning that a ceasefire would only be used by the Russians to regroup and replenish their forces.

"The Russians have never respected ceasefires. That's why it's important for Europe that the peace is sustainable and permanent," she said.

Kallas also spoke about the recent attacks on undersea cables in the Baltic Sea, stressing that it would be a mistake to treat them separately from attacks on critical European infrastructure. The incidents should be considered collectively and also in the context of similar attacks she said China has carried out against Taiwan and South Korea.

This shows the need to further develop international maritime law and further strengthen sanctions against Russia's dark fleet, which it uses to evade sanctions on its oil exports, Kallas said./REL