January 25, 2026, 2:10 p.mJanuary 25, 2026, 2:10 p.m
Against the backdrop of the search for a diplomatic solution to the Ukraine war, the Kremlin has criticized the EU’s political leadership as incompetent and ruled out negotiations with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas.
The EU foreign affairs representative Kaja Kallas.Image: keystone
The EU leadership lacks forward-looking visionaries, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov complained on Russian state television. “These are some uneducated, incompetent officials who cannot look into the future and understand the coordinate system that exists today.” The entire system of international relations is suffering from this, he said.
The EU has moved from an imagined dependence on Russian oil and gas to dependence on the USA, he argued. In the sweeping attack against EU officials, Foreign Affairs Representative Kallas, who comes from Estonia, was particularly criticized. “We will never discuss anything with her, nor will the Americans,” Peskov claimed. Moscow will simply wait until she leaves her post.
Anger over Ukraine support
Moscow’s anger is primarily based on European support for Ukraine, which is being attacked by Russia. Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of his neighbor in February 2022. To date, Russia has not achieved its war goals – also because Ukraine received Western help.
However, after Donald Trump took office as President of the USA, Kiev’s strongest ally up to that point was no longer there. Trump sees himself simply as a mediator in the war, which he promised before his election to end within 24 hours. (sda/dpa)