Macron and Merz condemn EU Council President's talks with Putin

At the EU summit in Brussels, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz sharply criticised European Council President António Costa for attempting diplomatic contacts with Russian President Vladimir Putin through his chief of staff Pedro Lurti. They argued that the moment for negotiations with Moscow had not yet arrived and that any such dialogue should be handled by the traditional EU‑3 format (France, Germany and the United Kingdom) or the EU as a whole.

Other EU leaders echoed the criticism. Belgian Prime Minister Bart de Vever said, "The first question is whether Putin wants to negotiate… no one else but Costa can represent the EU," while Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas warned that the EU cannot act as a mediator. Italy and Poland expressed displeasure at being excluded from the initial talks. The contacts were described by Costa’s team as brief, non‑substantive exchanges intended solely to keep a channel open for future diplomatic needs.

The dispute gained further attention after U.S. President Donald Trump, speaking at the recent G‑7 meeting, highlighted the ongoing war in Ukraine, adding pressure on the EU’s internal divisions over how to engage with Russia.