Talk of Europe entering Russia-Ukraine negotiations has heated up since Kyiv urged EU leaders to take a more active role last month.
Nicholas Vinocur
“Therefore it is important to have established diplomatic channels with Russia,” the official said. They were granted anonymity to discuss the sensitive diplomacy. The contacts with Moscow were first reported by Bloomberg.
While individual EU leaders have had direct contacts with Russian President Vladimir Putin in recent months — and a trio of French, British and German ambassadors met with Russia’s deputy foreign minister in Moscow earlier in June — there has been no concerted or official effort backed by the European Union or a majority of EU capitals.
Costa had been “coordinating closely with European leaders on possible engagement with Russia and the issues to be discussed when the right moment comes,” said the official, who added that the EU “is not a mediator” between Ukraine and Russia.
A spokesperson for German Chancellor Friedrich Merz declined to comment. A French official declined to comment.
Talk of Europe entering Russia-Ukraine negotiations has heated up since Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged EU leaders to take a more active role in peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow during a gathering in Cyprus last month.
The Ukrainian leader argued that the EU should step forward given that the United States has stepped back from the efforts, diplomats aware of his remarks during an informal gathering of EU leaders told POLITICO. His foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, has said the EU should play a role in talks alongside the United States.
