EU Chief Says There Is ‘Plan B’ if US Abandons Ukraine and Lifts Russian Sanctions

The EU’s top diplomat has said that the bloc will work towards maintaining its sanctions against Russia if the US abandons peace talks.

Kaja Kallas, the EU’s high representative for foreign and security policy, told the UK’s Financial Times that Brussels is drawing up a ‘plan B’ should the Trump administration abandon efforts to broker peace and settle on a policy of detente with Moscow.

“It’s a question whether the Americans will want to leave,” Kallas told the paper. “We see signs that they are contemplating whether they should leave Ukraine and not try to get a deal with the Russians because it’s hard.”

On Tuesday, a spokesperson for US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said if there are no signs of a breakthrough, Washington, would “step back as mediators in this process.”

Europe could fill the gap financially

European media have reported that some EU member states are concerned Trump may pressure Brussels into easing sanctions as he tries to bring Russia back into the international fold.

It could result in U.S. companies doing business in Russia again while their EU counterparts are blocked from doing so.

Kallas said the focus in Brussels is on maintaining consensus among member states, amid fears that Hungary would use its power of veto in July when sanctions come up for renewal.

“There is also a plan B, but we have to work for plan A because otherwise you concentrate on plan B, and then that will happen,” Kallas said, adding that talks are afoot in Washington and elsewhere to maintain Western sanctions.

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The FT reported that one possible option would be for individual EU members to adopt sanctions as a workaround against Hungarian opposition.

However, the EU’s chief diplomat admitted to the paper that some EU capitals are discussing whether to follow Washington’s lead if it moves to restore relations with the Kremlin.

“It is clear that these types of discussions are going on in certain member states and maybe hopes that we don’t really have to support [Ukraine] anymore,” she said. “But it’s also a false hope because if you look at Russia that is investing more than 9% of its GDP on the military, they will want to use it again.”

Kallas said diplomatic efforts continue to persuade the US to maintain its support of Ukraine but that European countries could fill the gap financially if the US pulls out.

Militarily, however, she admitted that “it’s harder to fill the gap if the Americans are leaving.”