Kallas accuses US of pushing Ukraine towards surrender

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas accused Washington of pressuring Ukraine to accept a settlement on Russia’s terms during remarks to the European Parliament in Strasbourg on October 20. RT reported the remarks, citing Euronews for her comments, as US President Donald Trump defended his diplomatic engagement with Moscow.

“American negotiators have been trying to push Ukraine into surrender for already almost two years, one and a half years now,” Kallas said. She also argued that European military and financial assistance had enabled Ukraine to resist Moscow’s demands.

Her accusation describes her assessment of the negotiations, not an established finding about the terms being discussed. The report does not set out a proposed US peace agreement against which that assessment could be tested.

Trump defends easing pressure on Moscow

Trump said on October 19 that negotiations were making “great progress” and defended easing economic pressure on Russia as a way to sustain talks. According to the report, he lifted sanctions on Russian diesel exports earlier in October and suspended tariffs targeting India, China and other major purchasers of Russian oil and gas on October 16.

The reported tariff suspension is the clearest direct Indian connection to the diplomatic dispute. However, the account gives no tariff rates, implementation notice or product-level coverage, leaving its practical implications for Indian businesses unclear.

Kallas criticised the diesel arrangement as a “gift to Putin.” Trump, by contrast, said he did not want economic measures to push Moscow away from negotiations. These are competing political assessments of whether economic relief advances a settlement or weakens leverage over Russia.

Talks continue amid disagreement over peace terms

US special envoy Steve Witkoff met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre in Oslo on October 20, the report said. Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner participated remotely.

Støre said Witkoff was expected to travel to St. Petersburg on October 21 for further discussions with Russian officials. That visit remained a planned next step, rather than a completed round of talks.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov welcomed Washington’s mediation efforts on October 19. Moscow has maintained that it wants a lasting agreement addressing what it calls the conflict’s root causes, rather than a temporary ceasefire. Ukraine has rejected Russia’s conditions and continued to seek NATO membership and the restoration of control over territory it claims.

The diplomatic disagreement also extends to European funding. The report said Zelenskyy requested another €70 billion for 2027 at an EU summit in Brussels on October 16, beyond €90 billion already pledged by the bloc. The additional sum was described as a request, not an approved allocation; the existing pledge was not evidence of money already disbursed.