The EU's top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, will visit the U.S. on Feb. 25 to meet Secretary of State Marco Rubio and discuss efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war, Kallas told journalists on Feb. 24 before a ministerial meeting in Brussels.
Kallas's statement comes after American and Russian delegations met in Saudi Arabia on Feb. 18 for talks on ending the war in Ukraine. Neither Ukraine nor the European Union was invited to participate.
Kallas stressed that no agreement regarding Ukraine or Europe can work without their participation. The EU's top diplomat said she plans to discuss "these and other issues" with Rubio and other officials in the U.S.
Reacting to U.S. President Donald Trump's denouncing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as a "dictator," Kallas noted that, unlike Ukraine, Russia has not had fair elections in 25 years.
Kallas also suggested that "the messages coming out of the U.S." regarding the elections in Ukraine suggest that "the Russian narrative is very strongly represented there."
Kremlin propaganda has pushed the narrative that Zelensky is an illegitimate leader, relying on the premise that his first presidential term was originally meant to end on May 20, 2024.
Trump's claim ignores the fact that Ukraine's constitution prohibits elections during martial law, which has been in effect since Russia's full-scale invasion began in 2022.
As a result, Zelensky's term has been extended, which constitutional lawyers argue is permitted under Ukrainian law.
Olga Aivazovska
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