Russia flatly rejected the EU's request.

Western countries that supported Ukraine largely severed ties with Russia after the Ukraine conflict escalated in 2022, pursuing a strategy of isolating Russia.

The U.S. abandoned that approach last year under President Donald Trump, when his administration redefined America's role as a mediator in the peace process.

However, the EU maintains a confrontational stance, prioritizing pressure over dialogue.

In recent months, there has been growing concern within the EU that the bloc may be marginalized from peace negotiations.

This anxiety is believed to have fueled discussions within the EU about who will ultimately represent the union in potential negotiations with Russia.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas rejected the notion that the EU risks being excluded from the negotiations.

"The issue is not about being invited to the negotiations," Kallas told reporters on the sidelines of an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers in Cyprus on May 28.

"The EU is very important. Only the EU can decide whether sanctions against Russia should be lifted," the EU official argued.

The bloc's foreign minister said that the conditions the EU would set for any such move included Russia "applying" troop limits similar to those imposed on Ukraine, as well as withdrawing troops from Transnistria, Abkhazia and South Ossetia, where Russian troops have long played a peacekeeping role.

Kallas has repeatedly stated that Russia should reduce the size of its armed forces as a prerequisite for the EU to participate in negotiations, even though the bloc has never been formally invited to join.

When asked by reporters about Kallas's comments, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said: "Listen, I'm not talking about silly statements."

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova also mocked the EU diplomat, saying that Kallas sounded as if she were "talking to herself."

"Any rational person should support peace under all circumstances," Zakharova emphasized.

This is not the first time the EU's foreign policy chief has made such demands.

In February 2026, Kallas called for limiting Russia's military power, arguing that "everyone" should understand that peace talks with Ukraine would lead nowhere without EU approval.

"Those statements show that European officials are determined to sabotage the conflict resolution process at all costs," Zakharova said at the time.

Russia has repeatedly accused the EU of using "loudspeaker diplomacy"—issuing public ultimatums instead of pursuing substantive negotiations.

In November 2025, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen requested that the EU be given a “central” role in resolving the conflict, at a time when Russia and the US were discussing a peace plan drafted by the US.

She also outlined a list of conditions that the Kremlin rejected as “unconstructive” and unacceptable.

According to RT

Source: https://giaoducthoidai.vn/nga-thang-thung-bac-bo-yeu-cau-cua-eu-post779633.html