EU opens communication channels with Kremlin over potential Ukraine talks

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EU opens talks with Kremlin

Highlights

EU Council President António Costa's chief of staff, Pedro Lourtie, has opened limited communication channels with a senior Kremlin official regarding potential Ukraine talks.
The EU is not seeking mediation but is coordinating internally on future engagement with Russia, as the U.S.-led negotiating process involving Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner has stalled.
Moscow continues to reject European mediation due to EU military backing for Ukraine, proposing any future discussions be conducted at the foreign ministry or intelligence level following failed Geneva talks.

Back-channel contacts take shape

As first reported by Bloomberg, Pedro Lourtie, chief of staff to EU Council President António Costa, has held phone calls with a senior official close to Putin, according to two people briefed on the discussions. One of those people says the recent contacts are limited to opening communication channels and do not cover substantive issues.

The same person says the EU has specific interests to defend in any future scenario, making it important to have diplomatic channels with Russia in place. A spokesperson for Costa and Lourtie declines to comment, while Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov does not immediately respond to a request for comment.

EU governments have for months debated whether to try to restore talks with Putin after contacts were effectively cut following Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Costa said last month there is "potential" for the EU to negotiate with Putin, although some capitals remain cautious about direct engagement.

Another person briefed on the talks says the EU is not positioning itself as a mediator and continues to support Ukraine's push for a just and lasting peace. That person adds that Costa has been coordinating closely with European leaders in recent weeks on possible engagement with Russia and on the issues to be addressed when the timing is right.

European role faces political and diplomatic hurdles

The outreach develops as the U.S. has until now led attempts to broker a settlement. The Kremlin says special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law, are due to visit Russia soon for another round of discussions with Putin, but that process has stalled as Trump shifts attention to the U.S. and Israel's war against Iran.

This week, Trump suggests to other G7 leaders that Washington could increase support for Ukraine and step up sanctions pressure on Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly said he wants European capitals to play a role in any peace negotiations.

Any direct European outreach still faces Moscow's insistence on hardline war aims even as Russia's campaign sputters. Yuri Ushakov, Putin's foreign policy adviser, dismissed calls for greater European involvement during a meeting with French officials in Moscow in February, and one western official involved in the outreach says Russian openness to more "constructive" engagement usually means acceptance of Moscow's positions.

Putin says European military backing for Ukraine makes those countries unsuitable as mediators, although he stops short of fully ruling out a meeting. In early June, he says he does not see how Russia can trust governments that have long spoken of inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia, and proposes that any preliminary discussions with Europe take place at the level of foreign ministries or intelligence services.

People involved in back-channel efforts also say Russia is interested in changing the format of talks after the last round in Geneva in February ends in deadlock over key issues. Costa, who represents the EU's 27 national leaders and chairs their summits, is seen by role as the most suitable envoy for collective talks with Moscow, though some capitals have floated alternatives including former Finnish president Sauli Niinistö and former ECB president Mario Draghi. Putin has also suggested former German chancellor Gerhard Schröder, but European governments reject that option given his past work for Gazprom and his longstanding ties to the Kremlin.

Our earlier article on the Netherlands’ new €500 million defence package for Ukraine detailed how the funding is split between drones from Dutch defence firms and support for air-defence equipment and other U.S.-made weaponry. We also noted that the deal includes missiles and F-16 ammunition and is paired with a letter of intent on defence innovation, highlighting how European support for Ukraine is increasingly tied to industrial cooperation and procurement.

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