Putin wants a photo op with Trump, says EU foreign policy chief

Russian President Vladimir Putin is not actually interested in negotiating when he meets his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump to discuss the war in Ukraine, European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told CNBC on Tuesday.

European officials and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy have expressed concerns at being sidelined from the Putin-Trump meeting in Alaska on Friday. The Ukrainian leader warned that Russia is planning further offensives and cannot be trusted, while European leaders have been scrambling to secure Ukraine a seat at the table.

“In order to have any deal implemented, you need Europe and you need Ukraine. So it is clear that Putin is just pretending to negotiate,” Kallas said on CNBC’s “Squawk Box Europe.”

“Putin doesn’t want Zelenskyy around that table, because that would reveal that he actually doesn’t want to negotiate, and he just wants to have a picture with President Trump and also postpone sanctions,” she said. CNBC has contacted the Kremlin for a response to Kallas’ claims and is awaiting a response.

European officials and Zelenskyy have been sidelined from the Putin-Trump meeting in Alaska on Friday, which has caused much irritation. Zelenskyy has warned that Russia is planning further offensives and cannot be trusted, while European leaders have been scrambling to try and influence Trump and get Ukraine a seat at the table.

European leaders, including Zelenskyy, are set to meet for a virtual summit later on Tuesday, which will reportedly focus on ways to pressure Russia, the fate of Ukrainian territories seized by Russia and possible security guarantees for Kyiv. Trump has also been invited.

U.S. has threatened, but not yet implemented sanctions on Russia. European officials have long been trying to pressure Washington D.C. to implement measures, which could put pressure on Putin.

Ahead of the talks between Trump and Putin, concerns have also grown that the U.S. president may pursue a solution that would be unfavourable for Ukraine.

Trump suggested on Monday that there could “some swapping” of territory as part of a peace deal though he insisted the U.S. “would try to get some of that territory back for Ukraine.”

The EU’s Kallas on Tuesday said no deal could be implemented behind Ukraine’s back. When asked about how the EU could react should Trump agree to cede some Ukrainian territory to Russia, she said: “How would that work in practice, like really, if Ukraine doesn’t agree to this, then how would it really work?”

Putin clearly just wants concessions, she said, adding that before any talks about ceding territory, a ceasefire should be discussed.

“Just to recall that Ukraine agreed to unconditional ceasefire already five months ago, and since then, Putin and Kremlin, Russia has just been playing games,” Kallas said.

“Russia could stop this war today. Just stop bombing the civilians and civilian infrastructure, and the war would be over,” she added.

The EU diplomat also addressed tensions within the bloc regarding its approach to the war.

Hungary, which has previously created hurdles for the approval of EU sanctions against Russia, this week chose not to endorse a statement by the bloc that said Ukraine must be free to decide its own future.

“We definitely also need to discuss our working methods, because this is a crucial time for Europe, it is a crucial time for our security, and we need to be able to adopt decisions. We have been able to adopt decisions so far, but it’s of course, increasingly more difficult,” Kallas said.

— CNBC’s Holly Ellyatt and Silvia Amaro contributed to this report.