EU calls for US pressure on Russia as Trump-Putin ceasefire talks stall

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas on May 20 urged the United States to take “strong action” against Moscow if it does not comply with calls for an unconditional ceasefire.

“America said that if Russia doesn’t agree on an unconditional ceasefire, then there are going to be consequences. So we want to see those consequences, also from the US side,” Kallas said at a meeting of EU ministers in Brussels, Caliber.Az reports via Guardian.

Her remarks came just a day after German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that the European Union would “increase pressure” on Russia through more sanctions, following a separate call between Trump and European leaders on May 19.

In this vein, the UK and European Union have both announced major new sanctions packages targeting Russia. 

The UK government stated that its latest sanctions would impact dozens of entities “supporting Russia’s military machine, energy exports and information war, as well as financial institutions helping to fund Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.”

“Putin has so far not put in place the full, unconditional ceasefire that President Trump has called for, and which President Zelenskyy endorsed over two months ago,” the UK Foreign Office said.

Shortly afterward, Kallas announced that the EU had approved sanctions targeting Russia’s shadow fleet of around 200 vessels. She added that more measures are on the way.

“More sanctions on Russia are in the works,” Kallas said in a post on X. “The longer Russia wages war, the tougher our response.”

Despite mounting pressure from allies, Trump has indicated that the United States is not yet prepared to join Europe’s latest sanctions push.

In response, Russia’s foreign ministry accused Europe of obstructing the return to direct talks, stating: “Russia never responds to ultimatums.”

After a two-hour phone call with Vladimir Putin on May 19, the US president announced that Russia-Ukraine discussions will begin "immediately," though it remains unclear how these talks will differ from earlier negotiations held in Türkiye on May 16. However, European leaders seem concerned with Trump’s depiction of his conversation with Putin. 

“Trump seemed relatively content with what he heard from Putin, and presented it as a new development, even though the Russian leader did not seem to have changed his position at all,” Axios quotes its European official source saying. 

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said there is “no timeline” for preparing a memorandum for future talks following the Trump-Putin call. “It’s clear that everyone wants to do this as quickly as possible, but of course the devil is in the details,” he said.

By Sabina Mammadli