Costa justified contacts with Moscow and announced preparation for possible negotiations with the Russian Federation
Kyiv • UNN
European Council President Costa explained contacts with Russia as preparation for the peace process. The EU does not have a unified position on dialogue with the Kremlin.
European Council President António Costa defended his recent contacts with Russia, which have caused discontent in several European capitals, during the EU summit in Brussels. This is reported by Bloomberg, citing sources in the European Union, writes UNN.
Details
According to the agency, EU leaders discussed this issue during a closed meeting with the participation of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Costa described his contacts with Moscow as brief and explained them as preparation for a possible future peace process.
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According to one European official, the President of the European Council emphasized that his team is only conducting "preparatory work" in case an opportunity arises to involve Russia in negotiations. He also noted that it is the President of the European Council who should represent the bloc's interests in such contacts.
At the same time, the EU does not yet have a unified position on dialogue with the Kremlin. Some countries advocate for preparation for future negotiations, while others consider any rapprochement with Moscow premature. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda stated: "I do not think that now is the time to start negotiations with Putin, because Putin does not want to see us at the negotiating table."