Who talks about Europe with Moscow?

2026-06-22 09:20:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Official Berlin seems unhappy with the president of the EU Council, António Costa. The announcement during the EU summit two days ago that his office had opened communication channels with Moscow drew criticism, as this was done without prior coordination with the member states. According to sources in Berlin, this step was described as "uncoordinated" and "unprofessional".

There have been no substantive talks, Costa stressed, explaining that it is only a matter of preparation for possible negotiations.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz avoided public comment on this, but stressed that peace talks should be led by Ukraine, Russia, Europe and the US.

But who will represent Europe remains open. According to the German Chancellor, Ukraine must decide who sits at the peace table: And Ukraine explicitly requests the support of the countries of the group known as the E3 – Germany, France and the United Kingdom.

António Costa also underlined Ukraine's role after the EU summit: only it is legitimate to negotiate for itself. Explaining his actions, he explained that "direct diplomatic channels" should be established with Russia, to enable the receipt and transmission of messages.

Support for Costa from small EU states

It is precisely the smaller EU states that have shown themselves open to Costa's proposal: "If the channels of communication are opened now, (…) then I see this positively," said Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker. For him, it is not so important at what level this happens.

Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever stated that in areas where EU competences are at stake, there should be an EU representative. According to him, the E3 countries should negotiate when it comes to security guarantees for Ukraine.

EU agreement to pressure Putin

On one point, EU heads of state and government are of one mind: the time for negotiations has not yet come. "We must force Russia to sit at the negotiating table. And that means more sanctions and more pressure on Putin," declared Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten.

The Russian government has said it is ready in principle to negotiate with European states. However, it will not accept ultimatums and the Europeans are either "stupid or incompetent" if they believe they can negotiate from a position of strength.

While the G7 countries agreed at their meeting earlier this week on further sanctions against Russia, the EU is currently working on a 21st package of sanctions, aimed at further restricting Russian revenues from energy exports. In addition, the European Commission has proposed a ban on entry into the EU for Russian fighters.

It was Bulgarian Prime Minister Ruman Radev who made it clear that Bulgaria opposes parts of the latest sanctions package: according to him, the planned measures would have a negative impact on the Bulgarian economy.

Aid to Ukraine in the post-Orban era

This was the first regular meeting of heads of state and government without Viktor Orbán. The former Hungarian prime minister had made aid to Ukraine significantly more difficult with his blocking stance.

With the new Hungarian Prime Minister, Peter Magyar, the situation changed: for the first time since September 2024, the EU was able to take decisions on Ukraine on behalf of all 27 member states, Council President Costa emphasized. Thus, the economic sanctions against Russia were extended for the first time by twelve months, instead of six months.

Also earlier this week, the EU opened the first chapter of negotiations with Ukraine. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called it a "major historic moment."

The aim is to open other chapters by the summer. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has once again called for Ukraine's rapid full membership of the EU. But some member states are skeptical about rapid membership. /DW