Key events
EU’s Kallas accusses Russia of ‘playing games,’ hints at EU-UK defence deal next week
And the EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas is speaking now, and she’s striking a very similar tone, pointedly referring to over 100 Russian drones reportedly targeting Ukraine overnight.
“We have to put pressure on Russia to really want peace and to sit down and to talk with Ukraine,” she says, accusing Moscow of “playing games.”
“If they are, if they are continuing bombing Ukraine all the time, if there’s no ceasefire, there can’t be talks under fire,” she tells reporters.
She also sounds positive on the prospect of a new EU-UK defence and security cooperation deal, which could be signed at the first post-Brexit summit next week.
She says the relationship is “very important in this very turbulent time,” and that she hopes “we get this agreement signed” at the summit.
Asked about specific areas it could cover, she points to cybersecurity, crisis response and cooperation, and “different topics where we already exchange information, intelligence-sharing, and all these facts that make us both stronger.”
France’s Barrot calls for ‘peace and negotiations,’ says Russia could face ‘massive sanctions’ if it doesn’t engage
French foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot said France’s position was “very clear: we want peace, we want negotiations,” as he said “an unconditional truce in air, sea, ground for 30 days” was needed to unblock the talks.
“President Zelensky has shown time and time again, that he is open to negotiation that he wants diplomacy that he wants peace. … Meanwhile, Putin’s only response has been more bombing,” he said.
Barrot said that during the meeting, France will repeat its call “for diplomacy … and for massive sanctions if Russia once again refuses to engage seriously in diplomacy and continues its aggression … on the Ukrainian people.”
Germany ‘expects Russia to agree to ceasefire,’ new German foreign minister says
Arriving at the same conference, Germany’s new foreign minister Johann Wadephul said that Berlin “expects Russia to agree to a ceasefire and then be prepared to negotiate.”
Should talks fail, Germany was ready to offer further arms packages for Ukraine, Reuters reported.
Wadephul also warned Russia about potential further consequences, including tighter sanctions against Moscow.
Putin must ‘get serious’ about peace talks, Britain’s Lammy says
Speaking ahead of that meeting in London, Britain’s foreign secretary David Lammy said Russian president Vladimir Putin must “get serious” about engaging in peace talks, PA reported.
Lammy commended Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy for his “willingness to engage in talks,” and said “this is the time for Vladimir Putin to get serious about peace in Europe, to get serious about a ceasefire, and to get serious about talks.”
He also repeated the current line that European leaders are “prepared if this is not the moment of seriousness from Putin,” PA said.
Morning opening: The ceasefire that wasn’t
Jakub Krupa
Despite the renewed offer of an immediate ceasefire, Ukraine said Russia had fired over a hundred drones overnight, hitting residential buildings in the Odesa region, among others.
In the meantime, we await a formal confirmation about potential direct meeting involving Ukraine and Russia in Turkey later this week, after US president Donald Trump and later Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged Russia’s Vladimir Putin to attend high-level talks.
Zelenskyy and Putin have not communicated directly since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and there have been no publicly known talks between Moscow and Kyiv since March 2022, shortly after the war began.
Trump said in a statement on his Truth Social platform that the two sides should “HAVE THE MEETING, NOW!!!”.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s European allies keep raising pressure on Russia.
After the leaders’ visit in Kyiv over the weekend, foreign ministers from Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and the EU meeting in London this morning to discuss what’s next for Ukraine and broader security issues.
I will bring you all the key updates throughout the day.
It’s Monday, 12 May 2025, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
