Andrii Sybiha, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ursula von der Leyen. Photo: Presidential Office
Debate over EU-Kremlin contact dominates Ukraine discussions at Brussels summit
A large part of the time allocated to discussions on Ukraine at the EU summit was taken up by a debate over contact between Brussels and the Kremlin that had taken place. The issue was raised while President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was still in the meeting room and continued after his departure.
Ukrainska Pravda
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A large part of the time allocated to discussions on Ukraine at the EU summit was taken up by a debate over contact between Brussels and the Kremlin that had taken place. The issue was raised while President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was still in the meeting room and continued after his departure.
Source: European Pravda
Details: The team of European Council President António Costa earlier initiated contact with Russian leader Vladimir Putin's team; several European media outlets reported this in recent days. The issue also became part of the discussion at the EU leaders' meeting in Brussels.
It later emerged that this topic received the most attention from EU heads of state and government.
European Pravda said the discussion had begun while Zelenskyy had still been present in the meeting room and continued after he left, as many leaders wanted to speak. In total, it took up the majority of the one and a half to two hours of discussion that followed the Ukrainian president's departure.
No formal decisions were taken, but some leaders expressed dissatisfaction that Costa initiated the contacts without consulting the European Council. EU sources insisted, however, that Costa had held targeted consultations with capitals before contacting the Kremlin, though not with all leaders.
A diplomatic source also said that there had been no "substantive discussions" during the contact with the Kremlin and that they were solely aimed at "opening a channel of communication".
It is also important that Costa himself has not held any talks at this stage, a position supported by the entire European Council. "There is complete agreement that now is not the time to hold negotiations with Putin. But diplomats must be prepared for this if and when such circumstances arise," the source said. If substantive negotiations begin, Costa would need to receive a mandate from other EU leaders to conduct them, a view shared by members of his team.
According to the sources, though not officially confirmed, the engagements involved two conversations in recent weeks between Pedro Lourtie, Head of Costa's Cabinet, and Yuri Ushakov, Putin's long-time foreign policy aide.
While these engagements have sparked debate within the EU, the Ukrainian side has repeatedly called on the EU to strengthen its role in negotiations with Putin.
Background:
European countries have also discussed the idea of appointing a European envoy to join negotiations aimed at ending Russia's war against Ukraine, although the proposal has not gained significant momentum so far.
Unofficial reports suggested that Germany, France and the UK were developing a plan to involve Putin in negotiations.
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