Russian President Vladimir Putin is not actually interested in negotiating when he meets his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump to discuss the war in Ukraine, European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told CNBC on Tuesday.
European officials and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy have expressed concerns at being sidelined from the Putin-Trump meeting in Alaska on Friday. The Ukrainian leader warned that Russia is planning further offensives and cannot be trusted, while European leaders have been scrambling to secure Ukraine a seat at the table.
“In order to have any deal implemented, you need Europe and you need Ukraine. So it is clear that Putin is just pretending to negotiate,” Kallas said on CNBC’s “Squawk Box Europe.”
“Putin doesn’t want Zelenskyy around that table, because that would reveal that he actually doesn’t want to negotiate, and he just wants to have a picture with President Trump and also postpone sanctions,” she said. CNBC has contacted the Kremlin for a response to Kallas’ claims and is awaiting a response.
European officials and Zelenskyy have been sidelined from the Putin-Trump meeting in Alaska on Friday, which has caused much irritation. Zelenskyy has warned that Russia is planning further offensives and cannot be trusted, while European leaders have been scrambling to try and influence Trump and get Ukraine a seat at the table.
