António Costa opens EU diplomatic channel with Russia amid split EU response

European Council President António Costa instructed his office to open a brief diplomatic channel with the Kremlin, saying the EU must be ready to convey its interests if conditions for peace talks with Russia arise. The contacts were described as short and without substantive exchange, and the EU stressed it is not a mediator in the Ukraine conflict.

EU leaders were sharply divided over the move. German officials called the initiative an “insult” and “uncoordinated,” while the prime ministers of the Netherlands, Spain and Austria welcomed it as a step toward dialogue. Several members, including the Netherlands’ Rob Jetten, warned that Russia has shown no genuine willingness to negotiate. Others argued that a back‑channel is necessary to prepare for any future negotiations and to maintain a unified EU stance.

At the same summit the 27 EU heads adopted, for the first time in more than a year, unanimous conclusions supporting Ukraine, extending sectoral sanctions on Russia for another 12 months and reaffirming the bloc’s commitment to Ukraine’s EU accession process. The discussions highlighted the debate over whether Costa could become the EU’s natural representative in any future peace talks with Russia, a role some leaders see as appropriate given his external representation of the Union.