The President of the European Council is attempting to establish a channel of communication with the Kremlin for talks on Ukraine
The President of the European Council, António Costa, has made contact with the Kremlin with a view to involving Russian President Vladimir Putin in discussions on ways to end the war in Ukraine. This was reported by Bloomberg sources familiar with the consultations.
According to them, António Costa’s chief adviser held two telephone conversations with a senior Russian official close to Vladimir Putin. The aim of the contacts was to lay the groundwork for more substantive negotiations in the future.
A spokeswoman for the President of the European Council declined to comment, whilst Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov did not respond to a request for comment on this matter.
Last month, António Costa told journalists that at some point it would be necessary to hold talks with Russia to discuss common security issues.
European Union member states are also discussing the possibility of appointing a special representative for negotiations with Moscow. However, this idea remains a matter of debate. The report notes that Vladimir Putin had previously proposed the candidacy of former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder.
Germany, France and the United Kingdom have separately discussed a strategy for engaging Vladimir Putin in peace talks, in coordination with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
European officials believe that there is now an opportunity to step up diplomatic efforts against the backdrop of the situation on the front line, an increase in Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory and rising economic costs associated with the war.
According to one European official, representatives of EU countries are seeking to coordinate their actions as the war enters a new phase and contacts with the Kremlin may intensify.
The report also notes that a potential peace deal between the US and Iran, which could lead to a fall in oil prices, is likely to affect Russia’s revenue from energy exports.
Vladimir Putin had previously refused to support a ceasefire to allow for peace talks, stating that this would enable Ukraine to strengthen its own defence capabilities. He has also opposed the presence of European troops on Ukrainian territory.
One of the conditions for a possible peace deal put forward by the Kremlin is the handover to Ukraine of territories in the Donetsk region which Russian troops have been unable to fully capture since 2014. Kyiv rejects this possibility.
Following the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, diplomatic relations between the European Union and Moscow were effectively severed. Since then, there have been only sporadic bilateral contacts between the parties.
After US President Donald Trump began peace talks with Vladimir Putin last year, European countries began to seek more actively to join the negotiation process. Officials in Brussels stress that any agreement to end the war in Ukraine will have a direct impact on the security of the European Union.
At the same time, the publication’s sources note that a potential meeting with Vladimir Putin could be exploited by Russia for its own propaganda purposes, particularly if it takes place on Russian territory.
