The EU Explains Why the President of the European Council Secretly Contacted the Kremlin — Politico
European Council President António Costa has sent an official request to the Kremlin leadership to open a direct channel of communication.
This diplomatic move marks the first such initiative by European Union institutions since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Such actions signal a significant departure from Brussels’ previous unified policy.
Since 2022, the European Union has categorically refused to engage in direct official negotiations with Moscow, so Koshta’s initiative is seen as a clear departure from this hardline diplomatic stance.
According to an anonymous senior EU official, the first bilateral contacts took place over the past few weeks, though they were quite brief and in no way touched upon the “substance” of the military conflict.
“That is why it is important to establish diplomatic channels with Russia,” the well-informed official explained, outlining Brussels’ rationale.
Although some EU leaders have had direct contact with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin in recent months, and a trio of ambassadors from France, the United Kingdom, and Germany met with Russia’s deputy foreign minister in Moscow in early June, there have been no coordinated or official efforts to date supported by the European Union or the majority of EU capitals.
A source for the publication elaborated on the reasoning behind this decision, noting that the European Union has “specific interests that will need to be protected” in the context of any future global negotiations.
At the same time, the European side separately emphasized that the EU “is not a mediator” between Ukraine and Russia in this war.
According to an anonymous official, António Costa “closely coordinated with European leaders on possible engagement with Russia and the issues to be discussed when the time is right.”
This was reported by Politico.
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