Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has categorically ruled out any negotiations with Vice-President of the European Commission Kaja Kallas or the European Union’s broader leadership, describing them as “incompetent” and lacking vision for the future.
The sharp dismissal comes as tensions over Ukraine and sanctions continue to dominate relations between Moscow and Brussels.
Peskov, speaking on Russian state television, said Russia and the US would “never discuss anything” with Kallas.
He claimed that Brussels is filled with “semi-literate, incompetent bureaucrats who are unable to look into the future or understand the system of coordinates that exists today”.
The entire international relations system was suffering as a result, Peskov added.
He described a “degeneration of politicians in power” in Europe, insisting there is nothing to discuss until such figures step down or are replaced.
Peskov noted that the EU only moved from its dependence on Russian oil and gas to dependence on the US.
He was particularly critical of Kallas, the former Estonian prime minister who now heads the European External Action Service.
She is known as a hardliner against Russia and has advocated carving up the country
Peskov’s comments, made as new EU travel restrictions for Russian diplomats took effect, follow repeated Kremlin rejections of EU-mediated diplomacy on Ukraine, with Moscow insisting any serious talks must involve parties it deems capable of realistic engagement.
Russian diplomats, consular staff and their families must now notify both their destination and any transit countries at least 24 hours before traveling within the Schengen area outside their host nation.
The restrictions, formally adopted in October as part of broader sanctions against Russia, aim to curb espionage and prevent the spread of disinformation regarding the war in Ukraine, which the EU says is intended to manipulate public opinion.
Meanwhile, fresh light has been shed on internal strains within the EU’s top ranks.
According to a Politico report, Kallas has privately labelled EC President Ursula von der Leyen a “dictator,” voicing frustration over von der Leyen’s dominance in foreign policy matters and feeling sidelined despite her formal role in EU diplomacy.
A senior official told Politico that Kallas “privately complains that she [von der Leyen] is a dictator but there’s little or nothing she can do about that”.
It was also noted that von der Leyen already had strained relations with Kallas’ predecessor Josep Borrell but he carried more weight because he came from Spain, while Kallas is from “tiny Estonia”.
Neither the EC chief’s nor Kallas’ offices immediately responded to requests for comment on the alleged private views.
It is not the first time Russia has criticised the EU leadership. Last summer, former Russian prime minister Dmitry Medvedev called them “imbeciles” when the 18th package of sanctions against Russia was approved, saying it would go the same way as the 17 other sanction packages.
Within the EU, criticism of the bloc’s leadership is also growing.
In an interview with TA-3 Slovak television channel on January 11, Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert Fico sharply criticised Kallas, saying she needed to be replaced. He also cited what he said was the EU’s lack of ability to respond effectively to the international situation or to establish a coherent European stance.
Former German chancellor Gerhard Schroder similarly told news outlet Berliner Zeitung that, as a result of Europe’s current foreign policies, the EU will lose its international importance and stop being a strategic force.
