Kaja Kallas, the EU foreign minister, said today: “The news that U.S. President Trump has invited Putin to attend the G20 summit is difficult for me to accept. Just days ago, Russian intelligence officers were charged with carrying out an assassination on U.S. soil. My question is this: Were these operatives acting independently, or did they receive orders from Vladimir Putin? I can state clearly: they acted under Putin’s direction.”
Commentary: Kallas’s remarks reflect the EU’s strong opposition to the U.S. decision to invite Putin to the G20 summit. Europe has long maintained a hardline stance toward Russia, advocating continued isolation of Moscow and caution against granting high-level diplomatic courtesies to Russian leadership. By citing the case of Russian intelligence officials indicted in the United States, she aims to underscore what she views as ongoing aggressive behavior by Russia, thereby challenging the rationale behind high-level U.S.-Russia engagement. This also reveals a growing policy divergence between Washington and European capitals: while the United States, driven by strategic calculations, seeks to use multilateral forums like the G20 to open dialogue with Russia and potentially facilitate mediation on the Ukraine conflict, European leaders remain concerned that unilateral U.S.-Russia contact could weaken sanctions pressure and compromise Ukraine’s interests.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1877216829476043/
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