EU’s Kallas ‘angered’ by Spanish PM – Euractiv
The EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, has angrily shot down Spain’s proposal to designate a special representative to negotiate a Ukraine peace deal, multiple news agencies have reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
During a summit in Brussels on Thursday, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez endorsed the idea of appointing a Ukraine envoy, which was previously backed by Finland and Croatia.
“We need a negotiating team and a representative that speaks for European citizens,” Sanchez told reporters.
The Prime Minister’s comments “angered” Kallas, who argued that she was the right person to conduct talks with Russia and Ukraine, Euractiv reported, citing an EU diplomat.
According to Bloomberg, Kallas “took offense” to Sanchez’s position, and the two had “a heated exchange” behind closed doors. “What am I here for?” she said, according to Bloomberg’s sources.
Politico Europe cited two EU diplomats as saying that Kallas insisted that representing the bloc was her job and that appointing a new person would “not be useful.”
EU members have felt sidelined since US President Donald Trump reopened direct talks with Russia without their approval. Trump, who said his top priority was to save lives, had phone calls with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky this week, during which the sides agreed to a 30-day pause on strikes on energy infrastructure. Trump has also refused to commit to unconditional support for Kiev and rejected the idea of providing specific security guarantees.
The diplomatic response was not the only point of contention in Brussels. Spain and Italy have reportedly rejected Kallas’ plan to raise €40 billion ($43 billion) in additional military aid for Ukraine as too costly.
Sanchez also criticized the language and priorities laid out in the European Commission’s recently unveiled plan to raise up to €800 billion ($868 billion) to “rearm” the EU. Brussels should understand that “the challenges that we face in the southern neighborhood are a bit different [from] the ones the eastern flank [faces],” Sanchez said on Thursday.
