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EU Reportedly Opens Backchannel Contacts With Moscow Amid Russia’s War in Ukraine
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European Council President António Costa has taken the initiative, reaching out to the Kremlin through private channels to discuss potential pathways toward ending the fighting, according to Bloomberg on June 17.
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Two telephone conversations occurred between a top advisor to Costa and a senior Russian official close to Russian leader Vladimir Putin. While the specific names of the negotiators and the dates of these discussions remain undisclosed, the objective was to prepare for more substantive talks down the road.
Both the press office for the European Council president and Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on the reported interactions.
This outreach follows comments made by the European Council president in May, when he suggested that Europe would need to engage in discussions with Moscow at the appropriate time to address shared security concerns, noting that he believes there is potential for such a dialogue.
Putin has previously indicated that he views his long-time associate, former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, as a potential mediator between Russia and the EU.
European powers, including Germany, France, and the United Kingdom, are reportedly working in coordination with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to develop a strategy for engaging the Russian leadership.
Officials in Brussels believe that the Kremlin may be open to diplomatic contact. This stems from the challenges the Russian military faces on the battlefield. The continued impact of Ukrainian strikes within Russian territory and the rising economic toll of the war further drive this assessment.
European officials are now seeking to align their approaches as the landscape of the war shifts and they prepare for a potential increase in direct communications with Moscow.
The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, has previously emphasized that the EU intends to present its own set of requirements to the Russian Federation as part of any potential negotiations. These requirements include the withdrawal of Russian troops from Georgia and Moldova.
During the G7 summit in France, US President Donald Trump stated that Russia had to make a deal to end its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. While Trump expressed his intention to lead the negotiations, European leaders worked to ensure they remained involved, fearing they might be sidelined in the peace process.
According to the US President, "something is brewing" regarding a resolution to the war, and he emphasized that Russia is currently losing significantly more soldiers than Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy maintained that American involvement was critical, even as European officials sought to establish a unified front to prevent any unilateral concessions.
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