Ex-Diplomat: New EU Loan Raises Pressure on Putin as Kyiv Pushes for Direct Talks

EU loan boosts Kyiv as Zelenskyy seeks Putin talks. Make us preferred on Google Share Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn Bluesky Email Copy Copied (Photo by Emmanuele Contini/NurPhoto via Getty Images) Content Share Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn Bluesky Email Copy Copied Flip Make us preferred on Google President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s push for direct talks with Vladimir Putin comes at a moment of growing pressure on Moscow, a former US ambassador to Ukraine has told TVP World. William B. Taylor said the timing of the push reflects Ukraine’s strengthened hand as the EU moved to unlock a massive new support package.  Follow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official . Veteran US diplomat Taylor said the planned €90 billion EU loan would send a clear signal that Ukraine’s backers are preparing for a long war rather than a rushed compromise. Speaking from Kyiv, he said Ukrainians see the package as vital both for the battlefield and for keeping the state running.  “They can now buy weapons,” Taylor said, arguing that the funds would show Putin that neither Ukraine nor its European allies can simply be waited out.  The EU’s move marks a breakthrough after months of delay tied to Hungary’s veto over the €90 billion loan. Budapest dropped its objections after oil transit through the controversial Druzhba pipeline was restored, clearing the way for EU ambassadors to back both the loan and the bloc’s 20th sanctions package against Russia.   For Taylor, the significance goes beyond the money itself.  He said each new sanctions round adds to earlier restrictions, especially those targeting Russia’s oil trade and the so-called shadow fleet used to evade Western measures. The latest package includes new pressure on maritime networks, energy-related trade and entities linked to Russia’s war machine.  Other Topics of Interest Putin Says He Would Meet Zelensky Only to Finalize End of War Dmitry Peskov says a meeting is only possible if negotiators agree on a specific settlement, ruling out talks without previously having established prior terms. That, Taylor said, matters because Russia’s economy is under strain despite temporary relief from higher oil prices. In his view, the combination of tighter sanctions, continued Western military support and Ukraine’s own strikes on Russian-linked infrastructure could leave Putin facing a narrowing set of options.  He argued that this is precisely why Zelenskyy’s renewed call for a face-to-face meeting with Putin is landing at the right time.  Talks, but not on Moscow’s terms?  Taylor said lower-level political negotiations have stalled and that any real breakthrough would have to come from a direct decision by the two leaders. At the same time, he made clear that Kyiv is not signaling surrender.  Zelenskyy, he noted, has ruled out meeting Putin in Moscow or Minsk and has also made clear that Ukraine will not simply give up occupied territory. That leaves the Kremlin with a choice: continue a costly war under mounting economic pressure or test whether direct talks can produce movement.  The energy dimension remains politically fraught, however. Taylor acknowledged that Kyiv was unhappy to see Russian oil transit resume toward Hungary and Slovakia due to Druzhba’s restoration, but said the pipeline compromise appears to have helped unlock the much more urgent financial package.