Kallas was not referring to abandoning Ukraine’s NATO aspirations, but rather to interim security arrangements to protect the country pending accession or in the event of a frozen conflict.
Russian media outlets have circulated a quote attributed to the EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, claiming that Europe has abandoned discussions of Ukraine’s NATO membership.
The claims stem from Kallas’s remarks on security guarantees for Ukraine. In interviews and meetings with EU foreign ministers, she has argued that “paper” assurances are insufficient and that Europe must be prepared to consider more robust measures, including discussions about deploying peacekeepers or military contingents to monitor a potential ceasefire.
Kallas did not signal a rejection of Ukraine’s NATO path, but focused instead on interim mechanisms to protect the country pending accession or in the event of a frozen conflict.
“Now, if this is not in question (Ukraine’s accession to NATO — ed.), or this is out of the question, then we need to see what are the security guarantees that are tangible. They cannot be papers or promises. They have to be real troops, real capabilities, so that Ukraine is able to defend itself. We have to understand that Donbas is not Putin’s end game. If he gets Donbas, then the fortress is down, and then they definitely move on with taking the whole of Ukraine. And if Ukraine goes, then other regions are also in danger. We know this from history and we should learn from history,” Kallas said in response to a question about NATO and whether it can provide security guarantees that would be sustainable for everyone.
Kaja Kallas has been among the most consistent advocates of Ukraine’s accession to NATO, repeatedly arguing in public remarks that there should be no “gray zone” and that Alliance membership remains the only credible security guarantee.
At NATO’s 2024 summit in Washington, allies reaffirmed that Ukraine’s path to membership is “irreversible.” Neither NATO nor EU leaders have issued any official statements or documents walking back that position.
During talks in Berlin in December 2025, President Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged that Ukraine could, in theory, forgo NATO membership—but only under strict conditions. He said such a move would be possible solely in exchange for binding security guarantees from the United States and the EU that would make any renewed Russian attack impossible.
StopFake has previously debunked other false claims surrounding Ukraine’s prospective NATO membership.
