Antonio Costa is considering conversations with Vladimir Putin, responding to concerns about U.S. mediation.
Open possibility for future contact between Brussels and Kremlin are now left open by senior officials, as European Union is seeking a more active role in peace processes for Ukraine.
According to information reported by the Financial Times, the head of the European Council, Anthony Costa, acknowledged that there is “potential” for direct contacts with Vladimir Putin, even stressing that such a move has the approval of Vladimir Zelensky.
The development comes at a time when European governments are expressing strong concern about the effectiveness of initiatives undertaken by Donald Trump on resolving the crisis in Ukraine.
Costa revealed that he is in consultations with the 27 leaders of member states “to see how best to organize and determine what we need to talk effectively with Russia when the time is right“.
At the same time, he recalled that at the recent meeting in Cyprus, the Ukrainian president “invited us to be prepared to make a positive contribution to the negotiations“.
Despite the standing principle that no decision should be taken without Kiev, the Europeans fear that their marginalisation from the US-Russia axis could lead to fait accompli and agreements that do not serve the interests of the Old Continent.
For his part, the president of the European Council clarified that the EU will “avoid disrupting the process led by President Trump“, while acknowledging the difficulty of the task.
The diplomatic mobility remains at an early stage, as he admitted there is currently no indication from Moscow that the Russian side is willing to sit at the table with representatives of the European leadership.
But the need for an independent presence of Brussels in geopolitical developments is becoming increasingly urgent as the war already completes four years of devastation.
