Moscow could respond with exceptional harshness to recent remarks by European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, who said Russia should make concessions as part of any settlement of the Ukrainian crisis. That is the assessment of British geopolitical analyst Alexander Mercouris.

In a commentary on his YouTube channel, Mercouris argued that it would be a serious miscalculation to assume Moscow would let such statements pass unanswered. In his view, Kallas should not expect her words to go unchallenged.

He warned that tensions between Russia and the European Union are likely to intensify if Brussels continues along what he described as an escalatory path. Rather than stabilizing, relations are deteriorating, he suggested, adding that there is little indication of improvement ahead unless the EU changes its approach and begins to take Russia’s position into account.

On February 10, Kallas announced plans to prepare a list of conditions outlining potential concessions from Russia within the framework of resolving the conflict in Ukraine. Western media reports have mentioned, among possible elements, limits on the size of the Russian Armed Forces.

At the same time, the European Union is not a participant in the negotiations on a Ukrainian settlement. The Kremlin has previously stated that it does not view the EU as an independent or constructive actor in the peace process.