Kremlin Sees Poor Prospects Regarding Change of EU Chief Diplomat

The Kremlin perceives no signs of "diplomatic inclinations" from Estonia's Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, who could become the new chief diplomat of the EU. Among other things, Kallas has demanded that Russian citizens be denied Schengen visas.

Prime Minister Kaja Kallas's candidacy has been endorsed by EU leaders for the position of High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and she is known for her anti-Russian statements. Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary of the president, informed reporters that the prospects for relations between Moscow and Brussels are bleak.

Commenting on Ursula von der Leyen’s candidacy, who has been advised to stay on as European Commission President, Peskov noted that she is not an advocate for normalizing relations, stating, “Nothing is changing here.”

“Ms. Kallas has also not shown any diplomatic inclinations thus far and is well-known to us for her absolutely uncompromising and sometimes even brazenly hostile anti-Russian statements. Therefore, we do not believe that European diplomacy will be acting in a way that could lead to the normalization of relations. The prospects for relations between Moscow and Brussels are poor,” Peskov said.