Putin Has No Veto Over European Security, EU’s Kallas Says

10.11.2026, 02:35 uatv.ua

Russian President Vladimir Putin has no right to veto decisions on European security, and any agreement concerning Europe’s security architecture reached without European participation will not work in practice, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has said, UATV English reports.

Speaking after a meeting of the Council of the Baltic Sea States in Warsaw, Kallas stressed that Ukraine must be integrated into Europe’s existing security architecture, in which both NATO and the European Union play key roles.

“Any agreement, to be implemented, will require the participation of the European Union. Security guarantees, sanctions, reconstruction, Ukraine’s accession to the EU — the EU’s involvement is essential in all these areas,” she said.

Kallas emphasized that Europe is not a mediator in the negotiations, as it firmly supports Ukraine. She said any agreement to end the war must prevent Russia from using a ceasefire to rearm and launch another attack.

To that end, she said, she had presented a document outlining key demands on Moscow, which EU foreign ministers had discussed and which should serve as a basis for negotiations. These include rejecting Russia’s claims to occupied Ukrainian territories, holding Moscow accountable for war crimes, violations of international law and the destruction it has caused, and ensuring Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence, and right to choose its own alliances.

The demands also include placing no restrictions on the size of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, returning deported Ukrainian children, and ending Russia’s sabotage activities across Europe.

“We already have a European security architecture. NATO and the European Union each play their roles in it. We must ensure that Ukraine is integrated into this architecture,” Kallas said, adding that Russia has repeatedly violated the agreements underpinning the existing security system.

“NATO was not a threat to Russia in 2021, and it is not a threat now. Putin has no veto over European security,” she stressed.

Commenting on U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent remarks about a possible agreement with Russia that would affect not only Ukraine but Europe as a whole, Kallas said Europe would not implement an agreement to which it was not a party. She noted that decisions on sanctions and frozen Russian assets fall within the EU’s authority.

Kallas also referred to previous attempts to reach agreements without European involvement, including the understanding discussed during the Trump-Putin meeting in Anchorage, which ultimately failed.

She said it was important for Ukraine and Russia to negotiate directly, but stressed that the conditions at the negotiating table must be more equal. So far, she argued, pressure had been directed primarily at Ukraine, even though Russia is the aggressor and Ukraine is the victim.

“Pressure must be put on the aggressor to stop the war. Moreover, to ensure security in Europe, we must make certain that Russia does not attack again,” Kallas said.

U.S. President Donald Trump recently said that a major agreement involving Ukraine and Europe as a whole could be reached in the near future, without specifying its terms.

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