EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas used a Newsmax sit-down at NATO headquarters to warn against any deal that hands Vladimir Putin more than he already seized, and she openly questioned plans by the White House to pursue talks with Moscow without Ukraine at the table. Her remarks underscored a deep European anxiety that a rushed American-brokered agreement could reward aggression rather than stop it.
Conservatives should welcome anyone who pushes for real deterrence, and Kallas herself admits Europe has finally begun spending more on defense after pressure from Washington — pressure President Trump has long insisted on. If higher European defense budgets and a more capable NATO come out of this period, that is a strategic victory that strengthens the West and vindicates insisting allies pull their weight.
That said, Kallas’s public scolding of American diplomacy rings hollow coming from a bloc that has for decades relied on U.S. leadership and sometimes balked when it came time to pay for its own security. Brussels can lecture all it wants about guaranteeing Ukraine’s future, but real credibility comes from meeting defense commitments and coordinating strategy with Kyiv — not moralizing about who talks to whom.
There is a real conservative case for negotiation: end the killing, secure refugees, and restore stability — but only from a position of unmistakable strength. Trump’s insistence that NATO members stop freeloading and actually build military capacity is precisely the kind of hard-nosed diplomacy that deters dictators, and even Kallas has acknowledged Europe has moved to do more. Strength, not hollow lectures, keeps Putin from testing the West.
Any bargain that sidelines Kyiv or hands territory to Moscow would be a strategic mistake that emboldens other authoritarian regimes, so coordination with Ukraine and real enforcement mechanisms must be non-negotiable. Europe’s top diplomat is right to demand a seat at the table — but Europe must back its words with credible power and economic leverage before lecturing the United States on how to achieve peace.
The right approach is straightforward: combine relentless pressure on Russia with a credible defense posture and serious diplomacy that respects Ukraine’s sovereignty. If Western leaders can deliver a peace that is durable because it is underpinned by strength, then that is something to applaud — and it’s on Europe and America together to make sure any deal does not repeat the mistakes of appeasement.
