Politico: The EU Has Once Again Begun Searching For A Negotiator To Deal With Putin On Ukraine

The likely candidates have been named.

The European Union has revisited the idea of appointing a negotiator to handle talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Ukraine, according to Politico reported, citing informed sources. Discussions have intensified following a visit to Russia by the U.S. president’s special envoy Steve Whitcoff, who proposed to Putin that a trilateral meeting be held between Russia, the U.S., and Ukraine. Against this backdrop, European countries have expressed concern that Washington might agree to terms unfavorable to Kyiv in negotiations held without their participation.

According to sources speaking to Politico, potential candidates for the role of negotiator under discussion include European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President António Costa, and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas. At the same time, some European diplomats believe that Finnish President Alexander Stubb might be the most suitable candidate. His good relations with Trump and Finland’s experience in dealing with Russia speak in his favor. One unnamed EU diplomat called Stubb the only European politician who has so far demonstrated high-level leadership. At the same time, some diplomats are in favor of Costa leading the negotiations.

At last week’s EU summit in Brussels, European leaders asked him whether it was time to talk to Putin. “Koshta replied that no, he would not speak with Putin at this time. But if we want to play any role in the negotiations, Costa should still begin a dialogue with Putin,” a source told Politico. According to another source, the President of the European Council could serve as a more impartial mediator than von der Leyen or Kallas, who are seen as too focused on supporting Ukraine.

“We can’t go there as a group of three or four, with each person speaking on behalf of the European Union. The choice of who will ultimately represent the EU must be based on maximum effectiveness, not on a personal power struggle or someone’s narcissistic ambitions,” concluded one of the publication’s sources.

Politico reported back in January that the European Union was considering appointing a special representative for the Ukraine negotiations. At the time, the initiative received support from a number of European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

Putin spoke of his willingness to negotiate with European countries, but he claimed that Europe “has no peace agenda” and is “on the side of war.” At the same time, Putin named former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder as Moscow’s preferred negotiator from Europe. Kallas noted that it would be impossible to appoint Schröder to this role, since he was a “lobbyist for Russian state-owned companies” and would be sitting “on both sides of the negotiating table.”

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