Putin cannot achieve goals on battlefield so will try to negotiate his way there – Kallas

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas "welcomed the US's push for the war to end," but said that any peace agreement must include concessions from Russia.

The Guardian reported this in an article, according to Ukrinform.

"We all want this war to end but how it ends also matters. We must keep in mind there's one aggressor and one victim. A complete and unconditional ceasefire must be the first step… Putin cannot achieve his goals on the battlefield so he will try to negotiate his way there," Kallas added.

According to her, Russia is not downsizing its war machine but instead expanding it. "We still need to get from a situation where Russia pretends to negotiate to a situation where Russia needs to negotiate," she said.

Kallas stressed that any peace agreement must include concessions from Russia and the focus must be on what Russia, the aggressor, must do. She also emphasized that "it is important that we continue to support Ukraine and pressure Russia." This, she said, is what the EU is currently working on.

The diplomat stated that "the notion that Ukraine is losing is also flat out false", and said additional sanctions against Russia are necessary.

"We must ensure that Russia never attacks again," Kallas said, adding that Russia's military and defense budget must be limited to prevent new attacks, and that the main focus should be on constraining Russia so it has no ability to invade again.

As Ukrinform reported, Kallas stated that Russia's return to the G8 format should definitely not happen.