The President of the European Council Is Secretly Negotiating with the Kremlin – Bloomberg

European Council President António Costa is attempting to establish a private line of communication with the Kremlin in order to engage Russian dictator Vladimir Putin in discussions on the terms for ending the war in Ukraine. 

According to journalists, Costa’s chief adviser has already held two private phone conversations with a high-ranking Russian official from Putin’s inner circle. The purpose of these preliminary contacts is to test the waters and lay the groundwork for possible substantive negotiations in the future. 

Official representatives of the European official, as well as Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov, are currently refraining from commenting on this information. At the same time, it is reported that the leaders of the three largest European economies—Germany, France, and the United Kingdom—are separately coordinating a joint strategy to engage Moscow in dialogue, and they plan to coordinate all potential steps directly with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Western diplomats see a window of opportunity for diplomacy amid significant logistical problems faced by the Russian military on the front lines, Ukraine’s successful strikes on military targets deep inside Russia, and the Kremlin’s mounting economic losses. In addition, Brussels is under serious pressure and is seeking to secure a permanent seat at the table for future negotiations after U.S. President Donald Trump initiated a direct line of communication with Putin last year.