Kallas: Europe can not shoulder Ukraine burden alone

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has warned that Europe can not be solely responsible for helping Ukraine bring an end to its war with Russia, especially amid shifting signals from the United States and President Donald Trump.

Speaking on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly on September 25, Kallas pointed to Trump’s recent remarks as a sign that Washington must remain actively engaged in Ukraine's defence, Caliber.Az reports via Politico.

“He was the one who promised to stop the killing,” Kallas said in an interview. “So it can’t be on us.”

Trump’s statements have left Ukraine and its allies uncertain about the president’s stance. In a recent post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said he believed Ukraine “is in a position to fight and WIN all of Ukraine back in its original form.” He added that the U.S. would allow the EU and NATO to “do what they want.”

While some European leaders welcomed the seemingly pro-Ukraine rhetoric, others remain wary that Trump’s comments could indicate a plan to reduce U.S. involvement in the conflict.

“There is no NATO without the U.S.,” Kallas emphasised. “America is the greatest ally in NATO. So if you talk about what NATO should do, that also means what America should do.”

Trump has also increased pressure on European NATO members to halt all imports of Russian oil and gas—making this a condition for further American sanctions on Moscow.

“Trump has been right,” Kallas said. “We have decreased our oil and gas purchases by 80 percent, which means that if everybody did what we do, there could be a bigger effect. We have done 19 packages of sanctions. If allies would mirror them, the war would be over sooner.”

Kallas stressed that while Europe had already significantly reduced its energy reliance on Russia, Washington must do more to influence countries still dependent on Russian supplies, such as Hungary and Slovakia.

“The U.S. has leverage,” she said, citing a recent phone call between Trump and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán as a “positive step.”

Top Trump administration officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy for peace missions Steve Witkoff, have argued that further sanctions on Russia could close off channels for negotiation. Kallas pushed back, arguing that Moscow has not demonstrated any intention to negotiate in good faith.

“I understand what the Americans are saying — that they can’t put pressure on Russia because that would close the communication channels that they have with Russia, and they are the only ones mediating this,” she said.“But you are coming in good faith, you are offering all this so that [Russia] would come to the table, but they actually just escalate. … This goodwill is abused by Putin. Now the question is, what do you do with this?”

The war’s global implications loomed large as world leaders gathered in New York, with tensions spiking over Russian drone and military aircraft violations in European airspace. Denmark remains on high alert following drone sightings over key airports.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov escalated the rhetoric further at the UN, declaring that NATO and the EU had “basically declared war” on Russia through their support of Ukraine, according to a live translation of his remarks on September 25.

Kallas called the repeated airspace violations a provocation. 

“Putin is testing us, seeing how far he can go. He wants to see our reaction,” she said.

Although NATO leaders are weighing a robust response to deter future incursions, Kallas warned of the psychological toll on European citizens.

“If your response is too strong, that also has an effect on our societies,” she said. “So that’s the balancing act that the leaders have to do, not fueling the fear inside our society.”

Looking ahead, Kallas voiced support for mobilising frozen Russian assets to fund Ukraine’s recovery. G7 finance ministers are expected to discuss this issue during a scheduled meeting on October 1.

“If the understanding is that nobody around the table can possibly imagine that reconstruction of Ukraine comes from our taxpayers’ pockets, then we need to have solutions. Russia should pay for the damages they have caused,” she said.

By Sabina Mammadli