Putin wants to ‘wriggle out’ of meeting, Zelenskyy claims, and says Russia does not want to end war – Europe live

Morning opening: Russia wants to ‘wriggle out’ of meeting, Zelenskyy says

Jakub Krupa

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Russia’s Vladimir Putin of “trying to wriggle out of holding a meeting” to discuss peace arrangements, saying: “They don’t want to end this war.”

Zelenskyy pointed to continuing Russian strikes on Ukraine, including on an American company’s facilities in Mukachevo, and a growing number of alleged provocations against Nato countries, including Lithuania and Poland. “[These are] not accidents – Russian impudence,” he said.

“We expect our partners to respond in a principled manner. This war must be brought to an end. Pressure must be exerted on Russia to end the war. Putin understands nothing but force and pressure.”

He was also quick to pick up on US president Donald Trump’s suggestion of more offensive actions.

Trump on Thursday appeared to vent his frustration at Russia’s obstruction. In a post on Truth Social, the US president blamed his predecessor, Joe Biden, for not allowing Ukraine to “fight back” against Russia.

He said:

“It is very hard, if not impossible, to win a war without attacking an invaders country. It’s like a great team in sports that has a fantastic defense, but is not allowed to play offense. There is no chance of winning! It is like that with Ukraine and Russia. Crooked and grossly incompetent Joe Biden would not let Ukraine FIGHT BACK, only DEFEND. How did that work out? … Interesting times ahead!!!”

Zelenskyy responded:

Of course, we will continue doing everything to protect our country and people. President Trump is absolutely right—this must be done not only in defense. Meanwhile, we do not slow down in diplomacy, so that negotiations to bring peace closer can finally take place.

Let’s see what today brings.

Elsewhere, I will be also keeping an eye on the EU’s reactions to the EU-US joint statement on trade, and on wildfires affecting Spain and Portugal.

I will bring you all the key updates here.

It’s Friday, 22 August 2025, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.

Good morning.

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Macron, Merz, Tusk to visit Moldova in pro-EU signal ahead of elections

French president Emmanuel Macron, German chancellor Friedrich Merz and Polish prime minister Donald Tusk will visit Moldova next week to celebrate Moldova’s independence day, the French president’s office said on Friday.

“The leaders will reaffirm their full support for Moldova’s security, sovereignty and European path,” the Élysée Palace said in a statement, reported by Reuters.

Moldova, a small former Soviet republic located between Ukraine and EU and Nato member Romania, will hold parliamentary elections on 28 September. The country’s ruling party is seeking to maintain its majority and keep its pro-European trajectory intact.

Moldovan officials have repeatedly accused Russia of meddling in its domestic politics by stoking pro-Moscow sentiment in an effort to topple the government as it aims to strengthen ties with the West, claims Russia denies, Reuters said.

ShareHungary, Slovakia urged EU to guarantee oil supplies affected by Ukraine war

Elsewhere, Hungary and Slovakia urged the European Commission to guarantee security of supplies after they said that oil deliveries through the Druzbha pipeline could be suspended for at least five days following a Ukrainian attack on a linked facility in Russia, Reuters reported.

“The physical and geographical reality is that without this pipeline, the safe supply of our countries is simply not possible,” foreign ministers Péter Szijjártó and Juraj Blanár said in a joint letter.

Slovak pipeline operator Transpetrol said on Friday that the flow of oil was interrupted last night, outside the territory of the Slovakia.

Earlier this week, Szijjártó publicly clashed on this issue with Ukraine’s foreign minister Andrii Sybiha, who told him to “send your complaints – and threats – to your friends in Moscow” (Europe live on Tuesday).

Updated at 04.26 EDT

Russia doesn’t want peace and Putin is ‘just laughing’ at Trump’s demands to stop killing, EU’s Kallas says

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas appeared on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme earlier today.

She asserted that “Russia does not want peace,” as she accused Russian president Vladimir Putin of not keeping any promises and “just laughing – not stopping the killing, but increase the killing, … the bombings on Ukraine.”

“You see Europeans, Ukrainians, Americans wanting peace, and doing all the diplomatic efforts to achieve that, whereas Russia is just dragging feet, it’s clear that Russia does not want peace.”

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas speaks with the media as she arrives for a meeting of EU foreign ministers at the European Council building in Brussels in June. Photograph: Virginia Mayo/AP

She also called for more EU and US sanctions and tariffs against Russia, saying:

“It is very clear that any promises that Putin has been given so far, he hasn’t kept, and we have to treat it as such, but [we] also [have to] make all the efforts in really pressuring him to come to the negotiation table.

And there we have different tools. The Americans have leverage with the sanctions or tariffs to pressure Russia into negotiations. We are working on our 19th package of sanctions on the European side to really put the pressure on Russia, the one who is, who is doing the aggression here.”

Kallas also argued that Putin got “what he wanted” from the Alaska summit with Trump, getting not just the picture with the US president, but “so much more, such a welcome in America, and … then he also wanted the sanctions not to be put in place, which he also achieved.”

“So, I think right now his interest is down, because he has achieved what he wanted from this meeting,” she said.

She also rejected speculations about Ukraine giving up parts of its territory, saying “this is exactly the trap that Russia wants us to walk into.”

“[They want] the discussion [to be] all about what Ukraine should give up, what is the concessions that Ukraine is willing to do, whereas we are forgetting that Russia hasn’t made one single concession. And they are the ones who are the aggressor here.

They are the ones who are brutally attacking another country and killing people there … So let’s keep the focus there, where we have to keep it, to put the pressure on Russia so that they would come to the negotiation table. And also, what kind of negotiation concessions are the Russians making right now? They have just increased their goals and wishes.”

Updated at 03.58 EDT