Morning opening: Don’t walk into a Russian ‘trap’ on talks, EU’s chief diplomat warns
Jakub Krupa
The EU’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, has warned against walking into a Russian “trap” by focusing on personalities rather than issues in potential talks to end the war in Ukraine.
Her comments came as the bloc’s foreign ministers gathered in Cyprus for informal talks to discuss what would their main asks of Russia be in any peace negotiations.
In recent days, several EU leaders opined on who could lead any potential talks with Russia, with a number of names – including that of Kallas – being floated as an option. Finland’s president Alexander Stubb was also one of the early favourites.
But speaking early morning before the talks started, Kallas conceded there is “not much happening” in the talks right now, as she cautioned against focusing on personalities:
“It’s a trap that Russia wants us to walk into, that we discuss who talks to them, and they are already picking who is suitable, who is not. Let’s not walk into that trap.
Negotiations are always a team effort. You have good cops, you have bad cops, you have a strategy [on] how you go to the table, so that is why the substance is much more important.”
Kallas insisted the EU will have to be represented in any future talks anyway, as “if you think about what Russia is interested in, lifting the sanctions, for example, it’s a European decision.”
The former Estonian prime minister also strongly criticised Russia’s repeated warnings about potential further strikes on Kyiv.
“This is what Russia does. Because it’s not really gaining ground on the battlefield, what they are doing now is really increasing the terrorist attacks, because you can’t really describe it in other ways, creating fear inside the society.
It hasn’t worked for four years, and I don’t think that it’s going to work now.”
We will hear from other ministers throughout the day, before a press conference summing up the talks in the early afternoon.
Separately, Hungary’s new prime minister, Péter Magyar, is in Brussels today.
But curiously, he begins the visit with bilateral talks with Belgium’s prime minister, Bart de Wever, and Nato’s secretary general, Mark Rutte, and not the much-awaited talks on accessing the frozen EU funds. That’s only to come tomorrow afternoon, which could be a sign that the negotiations on how to best resolve the lengthy problem with Orbán-era reforms are still ongoing.
Bulgaria’s Rumen Radev is also in Brussels, and also talking about the EU funds and how to rescue some of them that have not yet been spent before their expiry date in August.
Elsewhere, I will keep an eye on the latest reports from this unusual May heatwave as it still continues in large parts of western Europe.
Lots for us to get on with.
It’s Thursday, 28 May 2026, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
Key events
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Deal ‘also on how Sweden can learn from Ukraine,’ PM Kristersson says
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‘Diplomacy cannot stop Russia,’ Zelenskyy says as he confirms request to US for air defence support
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‘When we support Ukraine, we support Sweden and Europe,’ Swedish PM says
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Ukraine to order ‘up to 20’ Swedish fighter jets; get 16 older models as ‘assistance’, Zelenskyy confirms
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Talks on relaxing post-Brexit food safety rules ‘still ongoing,’ EU says despite UK’s claims of deal
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EU prepares to make first loan payments to Ukraine next month
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Hungary nearing a deal with EU to unblock funds, PM Magyar says
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‘Technical discussions’ between Brussels and Hungary to unblock frozen EU funds still on-going
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Bulgaria’s Radev to meet EU’s von der Leyen this afternoon, Hungary’s Magyar tomorrow
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Brexit rules on food exports to be scrapped, UK government says
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Zelenskyy confirms plans for ‘major defence package’ deal with Sweden
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Nato’s German-Netherlands Corp to take command role in Estonia, Latvia, Germany says
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Russian foreign minister dismisses ‘idiotic’ demand to ‘mirror’ army restrictions in any Ukraine deal
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Ukraine’s Zelenskyy in Sweden for rumoured talks on air defence, fighter jets
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‘We need to find someone who does not need Nobel Peace Prize,’ ministers joke about Russia negotiator
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Morning opening: Don’t walk into a Russian ‘trap’ on talks, EU’s chief diplomat warns
Deal ‘also on how Sweden can learn from Ukraine,’ PM Kristersson says
Sweden’s Kristersson says the broader agreement between the two countries is “honestly, also on how Sweden can learn from Ukraine” drawing on its wartime experiences.
He explains it as follows:
“Ukraine right now has the most advanced capacity to deal with drone wars in Europe, and we are extremely eager to learn from Ukraine how to be able to handle such situations.
I think when we talk about the need for kind of air defence in a very broad sense, most people perhaps think about the fighters, and they are extremely important … but the fighters are basically a part of a far bigger system of being able to defend yourselves from very different kinds of [threats], from the most expensive and advanced long range weapons to the, honestly, the most simple ones.”
‘Diplomacy cannot stop Russia,’ Zelenskyy says as he confirms request to US for air defence support
Zelenskyy also gets asked about his letter to US president Donald Trump and the US Congress asking for help with air defence (Europe Live, Wednesday).
He says that Ukraine is “very persistent” in asking the US to move quicker.
“As of now, diplomacy cannot stop Russia. We are stopping them with our long-range [hits], and we very much ask our American partners to help us with allocating bigger numbers of anti-ballistic missiles … or [to] give Ukraine licences so that Ukraine can increase this capability on its own.”
He says that “because of the war in Iran, the supply of missiles for Patriots has become more complicated,” and Europe “must have here at home on this continent all the capabilities necessary for protection.”
Sweden’s Kristersson gets asked if he expects a hostile reaction from Russia to this deal.
He says it’s “quite obvious,” as “we know quite well what Russia thinks about the countries providing help for Ukraine, so that won’t surprise us.”
“I think all countries in our neighbourhood are very well prepared for different Russian reactions, for hybrid threats, and all these things going on, so it doesn’t really change anything in that sense.”
Zelenskyy explains that the Gripens will be helpful as Ukraine faces a mix of “many different weapons, missiles, drones, aerial bombs” used by Russia, and it struggled at times with finding effective ways of defending against some of them.
He says the Gripens – with appropriate weapons – will help to push Russian jets out and make it much more difficult for them to deploy aerial bombs.
“These bombs, this is [the] number one [reason], and, [there are] a lot of [other] things, which I can’t share with you publicly, … but this is very important. “
Zelenskyy repeatedly thanks Sweden for signing off on the deal, but throws some shade on others, too:
“It is exactly this kind of determination, the kind Sweden has shown, that can bring peace closer, and we very much wish that some of our other Ukrainian partners were equally consistent, principled, and willing to help within the limits of what they are truly capable of.”
‘When we support Ukraine, we support Sweden and Europe,’ Swedish PM says
Sweden’s Kristersson is now speaking at a press conference with Ukraine’s Zelenskyy in Uppsala.
He says he expects to complete the first delivery of older Gripen jets C/D in 2027, with new models to be delivered from 2030.
The Swedish PM makes it very clear why he goes ahead with this deal and the support package, as he says:
“When we support Ukraine, we also support Sweden and Europe, and to me and the Swedish government, no task is more important.”
Ukraine to order ‘up to 20’ Swedish fighter jets; get 16 older models as ‘assistance’, Zelenskyy confirms
We are now getting a bit more detail on the Ukraine-Sweden deal teased by Zelenskyy earlier.
He just said in a statement that the two countries agreed on “a major defence deal, in which Ukraine acquires Swedish Gripen fighter jets.”
Ukraine will order “up to 20” Gripen E/F fighter jets, spending €2.5bn from the €90bn loan issued by the EU.
Sweden will also donate 16 older generation Gripen C/D jets as “bilateral assistance.”
Separately, Sweden “presented its largest military support package to date,” which will include “long-range capabilities, ammunition, electronic warfare capabilities and support [for] innovation.”
Talks on relaxing post-Brexit food safety rules ‘still ongoing,’ EU says despite UK’s claims of deal
Interestingly, the European Commission struck a very cautious tone when asked about the UK’s claims that a deal has been reached on parts of the post-Brexit SPS rules (12:09).
The EU’s spokesperson on the bloc’s relations with the UK relations, Balazs Ujvari, said:
“On the SPS, of course there have been negotiations going on for quite a while, and to my knowledge these negotiations are still ongoing, and of course will not be commenting on them as long as they are not fully, fully completed.”
EU prepares to make first loan payments to Ukraine next month
There is also a bit more detail on the EU’s plans to pay out the first instalment of the much-awaited €90bn loan for Ukraine.
The commission expects to make the first payment in June, but “there are a couple of procedural and technical steps yet to be completed,” a spokesperson said.
For what it’s worth, Ukraine’s parliament ratified the deal on its side this morning.
Hungary nearing a deal with EU to unblock funds, PM Magyar says
Meanwhile, Hungary’s Magyar hits a bit more upbeat tone in his latest post on Facebook, saying that while there are still some issues that need to be resolved, the two sides managed to agree a deal on “many important questions.”
In a Facebook video, he takes viewers into a meeting room in Brussels from which he is working on ironing out the final details.
For what it’s worth, the commission confirmed there will be press statements after their meeting tomorrow – and an opportunity to ask some questions, which is usually a clear sign that things are going well.
‘Technical discussions’ between Brussels and Hungary to unblock frozen EU funds still on-going
The commission gets pressed a bit more on “how close or how far” it is from reaching a political deal with the new government in Budapest to unblock the billions of euros in frozen EU funds.
The commission’s chief spokesperson, Paula Pinho, confirms that “there are discussions at technical level going on” ahead of tomorrow’s meeting between the leaders.
“I will obviously not anticipate or prejudge what will be the outcome of that meeting, but a series of meetings has been taking place, as you know, between the teams on both sides to make as much progress as possible. …
Let’s see what comes out of it. It’s not much more time to wait. We give it another day, and we should know more in terms of how far have we managed to get on both sides.”
Pushed a bit further, the commission confirms that that the EU’s enlargement and the bloc’s energy policy are among topics being discussed with Hungary.
Bulgaria’s Radev to meet EU’s von der Leyen this afternoon, Hungary’s Magyar tomorrow
We are now hearing from the European Commission in its daily press briefing.
They begin by helpfully confirming the timings of the commission’s president Ursula von der Leyen’s meetings with Bulgaria’s Rumen Radev and Hungary’s Péter Magyar.
The Bulgarian prime minister will pop in to Berlaymont this afternoon with a press statement afterwards, and the Hungarian premier will be in tomorrow afternoon.
Both are keen to get all EU funds fully flowing and not risk losing them ahead of the August deadline.
Brexit rules on food exports to be scrapped, UK government says
Lisa O’Carroll
Brexit rules affecting UK food exports to the EU, including fresh sausages and burgers, will be scrapped from mid-2027 in the first confirmed result of Keir Starmer’s “reset” negotiations with Brussels, the government has announced.
When the rules come into force, exporters of meat – whether fresh, frozen or processed – will no longer require costly veterinary certificates to prove they meet EU standards. Nor will they need similar documentation for plants or wood packaging material. Businesses selling into Northern Ireland will no longer require health labels.
While not all details of the sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) deal have been finalised, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, has published guidance to help producers prepare for the changes.
The announcement may also have been designed to demonstrate early progress in the protracted UK-EU reset talks, which have been hampered by disagreements over a youth mobility scheme.
The biosecurity minister, Sue Hayman, said the deal was “great news for British food and drink businesses of all sizes”, including the estimated 16,000 companies that stopped exporting to the EU after Brexit because of excessive bureaucracy.
She added:
“By cutting unnecessary delays and paperwork at the border, the agreement will make it easier for businesses to sell our world-class produce to European customers, support jobs and help ease pressure on food prices for families.”
The changes will cover rules including those on food additives and colourings, animal breeding certificates, pesticides, vaccination residues, organic products and farm feeds.
Zelenskyy confirms plans for ‘major defence package’ deal with Sweden
Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed plans for a “major defence package” with Sweden to be announced as part of his visit today (10:41).
He said:
“We are preparing a major defence package for Ukraine and a strong step regarding Gripen fighter jets, which will definitely make our combat aviation more effective.”
As I mentioned earlier, he is expected to speak with Sweden’s Kristersson at a press conference later this afternoon so I will keep an eye out for more details.
Nato’s German-Netherlands Corp to take command role in Estonia, Latvia, Germany says
Meanwhile, Germany said that Nato’s German-Netherlands Corps will take on the role of a tactical headquarters for Estonia and Latvia within the defence alliance’s plans around mid-year, Reuters reported.
“The deployment of an additional tactical headquarters to the region strengthens the cohesion of Nato and supports the deterrence of Russia,” the ministry said in a statement.
They added that “by establishing a second headquarters in the region … Germany and the Netherlands are demonstrating their readiness and capability to assume responsibility for deterrence and the defence of Nato ‘s eastern flank,” particularly amid growing tensions with Russia.
Russian foreign minister dismisses ‘idiotic’ demand to ‘mirror’ army restrictions in any Ukraine deal
Meanwhile, Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov dismissed the EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas’s comments on potential EU demands towards Moscow as, erm, “idiotic.”
Speaking before the Cyprus meeting this morning, Kallas suggested that since Russia wants to see a limit imposed on the Ukrainian army, this “should be mirrored” with a similar requirement for Moscow.
Ukraine’s Zelenskyy in Sweden for rumoured talks on air defence, fighter jets
Elsewhere, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy will meet Swedish prime minister Ulf Kristersson in Sweden today, where an announcement on air defence is expected, Sweden’s government said, as reported by AFP.
Aftonbladet newspaper reported that Sweden would announce the donation of JAS 39 Gripen fighter jets of the older C and D models to Ukraine and launch negotiations for the sale of the more recent E model to Kyiv.
The two countries signed a letter of intent in October 2025 on Kyiv’s purchase of 100 to 150 Gripen E aircraft.
Zelenskyy and Kristersson will appear together at a press conference later today – I will keep an eye on this.
‘We need to find someone who does not need Nobel Peace Prize,’ ministers joke about Russia negotiator
But other foreign ministers appear somewhat divided on the concept of appointing a single EU negotiator for Russia.
Austria’s Beate Meinl-Reisinge said it was a necessary step as “the EU should not get ready.”
Meinl-Reisinge said she would be “pressing for the European Union to position itself, to be able to negotiate beyond its own interests, and to appoint a chief negotiator.”
Luxembourg’s Xavier Bettel said “there are so many good people” to take the job, and “what would be important is that it’s not just … someone who is a neighbour of Russia,” but should be a bit more removed from the conflict.
“Maybe a triad of three people – head of states, minister of foreign affairs, former prime ministers? Maybe ex-politicians are less scared about the results? We need to find someone who does not need a Nobel Peace Prize,” he joked.
But eastern flank leaders – Lithuania’s Kestutis Budrys and Estonia’s Margus Tsahkna – sided with Kallas instead.
“This is not a time when we are discussing who is going to have the negotiations,” Budrys said. “We have to discuss what we are doing to put additional pressure on Russia.”
Tsakhna, meanwhile, even repeated Kallas’s language, calling the entire discussion a “trap.”
But he picked up Bettel’s link to the Nobel Peace Prize, saying:
“Whoever would like to go right now – this guy is not going to have a Nobel Prize, because there won’t be any serious talks.”
Morning opening: Don’t walk into a Russian ‘trap’ on talks, EU’s chief diplomat warns
Jakub Krupa
The EU’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, has warned against walking into a Russian “trap” by focusing on personalities rather than issues in potential talks to end the war in Ukraine.
Her comments came as the bloc’s foreign ministers gathered in Cyprus for informal talks to discuss what would their main asks of Russia be in any peace negotiations.
In recent days, several EU leaders opined on who could lead any potential talks with Russia, with a number of names – including that of Kallas – being floated as an option. Finland’s president Alexander Stubb was also one of the early favourites.
But speaking early morning before the talks started, Kallas conceded there is “not much happening” in the talks right now, as she cautioned against focusing on personalities:
“It’s a trap that Russia wants us to walk into, that we discuss who talks to them, and they are already picking who is suitable, who is not. Let’s not walk into that trap.
Negotiations are always a team effort. You have good cops, you have bad cops, you have a strategy [on] how you go to the table, so that is why the substance is much more important.”
Kallas insisted the EU will have to be represented in any future talks anyway, as “if you think about what Russia is interested in, lifting the sanctions, for example, it’s a European decision.”
The former Estonian prime minister also strongly criticised Russia’s repeated warnings about potential further strikes on Kyiv.
“This is what Russia does. Because it’s not really gaining ground on the battlefield, what they are doing now is really increasing the terrorist attacks, because you can’t really describe it in other ways, creating fear inside the society.
It hasn’t worked for four years, and I don’t think that it’s going to work now.”
We will hear from other ministers throughout the day, before a press conference summing up the talks in the early afternoon.
Separately, Hungary’s new prime minister, Péter Magyar, is in Brussels today.
But curiously, he begins the visit with bilateral talks with Belgium’s prime minister, Bart de Wever, and Nato’s secretary general, Mark Rutte, and not the much-awaited talks on accessing the frozen EU funds. That’s only to come tomorrow afternoon, which could be a sign that the negotiations on how to best resolve the lengthy problem with Orbán-era reforms are still ongoing.
Bulgaria’s Rumen Radev is also in Brussels, and also talking about the EU funds and how to rescue some of them that have not yet been spent before their expiry date in August.
Elsewhere, I will keep an eye on the latest reports from this unusual May heatwave as it still continues in large parts of western Europe.
Lots for us to get on with.
It’s Thursday, 28 May 2026, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2026/may/28/europe-russia-ukraine-talks-heatwave-kaja-kallas-putin-latest-news-updates
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