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Ukraine: EU's Kallas warns against Russian mediator 'trap'
Ukraine: EU's Kallas warns against Russian mediator 'trap'
Matt Ford with Reuters, AFP, dpaPublished 05/28/2026Published May 28, 2026last updated 05/28/2026last updated May 28, 2026The European Union's top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, has warned member states against falling into a Russian "trap" in future negotiations on Ukraine as the bloc's foreign ministers meet in Cyprus.
https://p.dw.com/p/5ES9lWhat you need to know
- EU foreign ministers are meeting in Cyprus
- Foreign policy chief Kallas warns against Russian mediator 'trap'
- Bloc to push for "maximalist" approach in peace talks
- Indian and Saudi foreign ministers also joining talks
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Below you can review DW's coverage of developments regarding Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine from Thursday, May 28.
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Skip next section Zelenskyy presses US for more Patriot missile systems05/28/2026May 28, 2026Zelenskyy presses US for more Patriot missile systems
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he was "very persistent" in requesting the United States provide his country with more Patriot air defense missiles to counter Russian ballistic missile attacks.
The Ukrainian leader said he had not received a response to a request sent earlier this week to US President Donald Trump and Congress asking for more of the US-made defense systems.
Zelenskyy warned that deliveries to Ukraine are falling dangerously short as the war in Iran diverts and reduces US ammunition stocks.
"I believe (the US) must act quicker," he said. during a visit to Sweden. "We are being very persistent."
https://p.dw.com/p/5EVD5Skip next section Ukraine to buy 20 new Gripen jets, Sweden to donate older planes sooner05/28/2026May 28, 2026Ukraine to buy 20 new Gripen jets, Sweden to donate older planes sooner
Ukraine has agreed a deal to purchase 20 brand new Gripen fighter jets from Sweden from 2030, with Stockholm donating a further 16 older Gripen models as early as next year.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson announced the deal following a meeting in Stockholm on Thursday.
"Gripen is the best and optimal choice for Ukraine," said Kristersson at a press conference alongside Zelenskyy at Uppsala air bases, just north of Stockholm, where two Gripen jets were on display. "So today, we take the next major step on this joint journey."
Last year, the two leaders signed a letter of intent paving the way for Sweden to sell up to 150 new Gripen model E/F fighter jets to Ukraine.
"We need these jets and for us this is really a new page for Ukraine," Zelenskyy said, adding that Kyiv planned to buy all the 150 jets stipulated. "God bless, we will have enough financing for this," he said, explaining that funding was coming from the €90 billion EU loan which was formally ratified by the Ukrainian parliament on Thursday.
But with deliveries of the newer models still several years away, Sweden is also donated 16 older C/D models to help boost Ukraine's air defenses in the meantime.
Gripen fighter jets are seen as a cost-efficient alternative to the more advanced American F-35. They are comparatively easy and quick to maintain and can operate from more varied and flexible air bases such as ordinary roads.
"The more countries that select the Gripen fighter ... and it starts flying in operations in more countries, the more people understand what a fantastic capability this is," said Micael Johansson, chief executive of manufacturer Saab, whose shares were up 4.4% at midday on Thursday, making it the top gainer in Europe.
Ukraine's air force is currently made up of a mixture of Soviet and more modern western aircraft.
Sweden, a NATO member since 2024, is one of the largest contributors to Ukraine and has donated 128 billion Swedish crowns ($13.75 billion / €11.82 billion) worth of military and civilian aid since the full-scale Russian invasion. It has also set aside 80 billion crowns in aid for 2026 and 2027.
https://p.dw.com/p/5EU0DSkip next section Kallas: 'Europe will never be neutral; we are on Ukraine's side'05/28/2026May 28, 2026Kallas: 'Europe will never be neutral; we are on Ukraine's side'
The European Union's foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, insisted on Thursday that "Europe will never be a neutral mediator between Russia and Ukraine because we are on Ukraine's side and we are defending our own core security interests."
Nevertheless, the former Estonian Prime Minister did say she thought it was "very important that we push Ukraine and Russia to talk to each other" but that an "unconditional ceasefire is a prerequisite for any kind of peace negotiations."
Unfortunately, she said after a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Limassol, Cyprus, "Russia still shows no genuine interest in peace."
Ahead of the meeting, Kallas had said the EU would take a "maximalist" approach to any future negotiations with Russia, even going so far as to demand restrictions on the size of the Russian armed forces.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov responded to that particular comment on Thursday, calling it "idiotic."
https://p.dw.com/p/5ETkWSkip next section Russia demands proof of GPS jamming claims, calls US troops in Poland an 'escalation'05/28/2026May 28, 2026Russia demands proof of GPS jamming claims, calls US troops in Poland an 'escalation'
The Russian foreign ministry said on Thursday that Europe should provide proof to back up its allegations that Moscow has been jamming GPS signals in the skies above the continent.
"Let them first present at least some evidence," foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova told reporters when asked about the allegations.
"Then something can be discussed, something can be talked about. So far, these are just words, and you can't take their word for it."
Since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, European nations have often accused Moscow of electronic interference, which the Kremlin denies.
Earlier this week, Lithuanian officials claimed that Russia can falsify GPS signals deep into European territory at a radius of up to 450 kilometers (280 miles) from its Kaliningrad exclave due to expanded capacity.
Last year, a Spanish military jet carrying Defense Minister Margarita Robles experienced a GPS disturbance near Kaliningrad while a plane carrying European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was jammed en route to Bulgaria.
Meanwhile, spokeswoman Zakharova also addressed US plans announced by President Donald Trump last week to deploy an additional 5,000 troops to Poland.
Such a deployment would be considered a "qualitative escalation" of tensions with the West and would force Moscow to take "retaliatory measures," she said.
https://p.dw.com/p/5ETfWSkip next section Zelenskyy in Sweden to discuss 'major defense package'05/28/2026May 28, 2026Zelenskyy in Sweden to discuss 'major defense package'
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was in Stockholm, Sweden, on Thursday for talks with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson on bilateral defense cooperation.
Zelenskyy said on social media that the countries were working on a deal to provide Kyiv with Swedish Gripen fighter jets in exchange for Ukrainian drone technology and expertise in what he called a "major defense package."
In over four years of fighting to repe Russia's invasion, Ukraine has found itself at the cutting edge of modern warfare and has become a leader in drone technology — both defensively and increasingly offensively.
Ukrainian drones patrol the 1,250-kilometer (780-mile) front line in eastern Ukraine while also striking deeper at Russian supply routes, keeping a much bigger army at bay.
"Ukraine's successful mid-range and front-line drone strike campaigns are limiting Russia's ability to transport personnel to the front line and to supply and sustain front-line positions," commented the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War in an assessment on Wednesday.
Also on Wednesday, the head of the United Kingdom's intelligence agency, GCHQ, asserted that Russia was "going backwards on the battlefield," citing new data which shows that "almost half a million Russian soldiers have now been killed since the conflict began."
Ukrainian drone expertise has been in high demand in the Middle East since Gulf states became targets of retaliatory Iranian strikes, and Zelenskyy has said that Ukrainian specialists have also helped to defend US military bases in the region.
https://p.dw.com/p/5ETFCSkip next section India, Saudi Arabia foreign ministers join EU counterparts05/28/2026May 28, 2026India, Saudi Arabia foreign ministers join EU counterparts
Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and his Saudi counterpart, Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud, were expected to join EU foreign ministers in Cyprus on Thursday to discuss, among other things, developments in the conflict in the Middle East.
India and the European Union announced a far-reaching free trade agreement in January, but trade between India the EU — via Saudi Arabia and the Gulf — has been affected by the war in Iran and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
For example, Indian rice exports to Gulf states have fallen by more than 5% this year despite a record harvest, with cargoes bound for Saudi Arabia delayed in transit because of the conflict, leading buyers and exporters to hold back on new deals.
However, the crisis has also intensified relations between the three partners, with the EU repeatedly declaring its solidarity with the Gulf states when they came under retaliatory strikes from Iran.
"It is not in anybody's interest that this war continues," said EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, saying that Iran and the United States were currently in a "very dangerous zone" between peace and war.
https://p.dw.com/p/5ET4DSkip next section EU to push 'maximalist' approach in talks with Russia05/28/2026May 28, 2026EU to push 'maximalist' approach in talks with Russia
The European Union intends to take a "maximalist" approach in any talks with Russia on a peace deal in Ukraine, including a potential withdrawal of Russian troops from separatist areas of Georgia and Moldova and limitations to its military, said the bloc's foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas.
"It's a maximalist approach, but so is Russia's approach so far," she told reporters in Cyprus on Thursday, adding that the European Union will also refuse to recognize Russian control over territories seized by force and demand that Moscow respect international agreements.
"The aim is to get Russia to step back from this spiral of escalating violence," German Minister of State for Europe Gunther Krichbaum said, adding that preparations for additional EU sanctions against Russia are underway.
"Russia appears to have no intention whatsoever of curbing its aggression, quite the contrary," he said, referring to ballistic and hypersonic missile strikes on Ukraine this week. "The pressure on Russia must increase, and that is so important."
https://p.dw.com/p/5ESwYSkip next section EU's Kallas warns against falling into 'Russian trap'05/28/2026May 28, 2026EU's Kallas warns against falling into 'Russian trap'
The EU foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, has warned member states not to fall into the Russian "trap" of getting sidetracked by a debate over who might represent the bloc in any future peace talks on Ukraine.
"It's a trap that Russia wants us to walk into, that we discuss who talks to them, while they are already picking who is suitable and who is not," she told reporters on the sidelines of an EU foreign ministers' meeting in the Cypriot port city of Limassol. "Let's not walk into that trap."
Earlier this month, Moscow suggested the former German chancellor and Kremlin friend Gerhard Schröder as mediator, while Finnish President Alexander Stubb, former European Central Bank president Mario Draghi and even former German chancellor Angela Merkel have also been proposed.
But Kallas quickly dismissed such ideas, saying: "Negotiations [are] always a team effort. You have 'good cops,' you have 'bad cops,' you have a strategy. The substance is much more important than the who."
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said: "Europe will decide the name of the negotiator, not Mr. Putin."
Ukraine is pushing for Europe to play a more forceful role in negotiations, especially with the United States seemingly distracted by the conflict in the Middle East.
"Europe must be involved in the negotiations," President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote this month. "It is important for it to have a strong voice and presence in this process, and it is worth determining who will represent Europe specifically."
But there is still a reluctance for Europe to take over Washington's role of neutral mediator, with one EU diplomat confiding to the Reuters news agency:
"It is hard to see how the EU could become a mediator or broker in the talks and step in for the US, given how much we have supported Ukraine."
How Belarus may still play a role in Russia's war in Ukraine
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https://p.dw.com/p/5EScXSkip next section Welcome to our coverage05/28/2026May 28, 2026Welcome to our coverage
Hello and welcome to DW's coverage of developments surrounding Russia's war against Ukraine.
EU foreign ministers are meeting in Limassol, Cyprus, on Thursday discuss Russia's ongoing invasion, as well as the continuing conflict in the Middle East and the bloc's relations with India and Saudi Arabia — whose foreign ministers are also in attendance.
On Ukraine, the EU's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has warned against getting bogged down in speculation over who might represent the bloc in potential peace talks, calling the debate a Russian "trap."
In Kyiv, the Ukrainian parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, has formally ratified the €90 billion EU loan, while President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is in Stockholm, Sweden, for talks on acquiring Gripen fighter jets.
https://p.dw.com/p/5ESCgShow more posts