BRUSSELS (AP) 鈥� European Union leaders have been unable to agree on setting up a to ensure that the bloc鈥檚 interests are protected should progress be made in negotiations to end Russia鈥檚 , some of them said on Friday.
European Council President Ant贸nio Costa, who chaired their two-day summit in Brussels this week, had directed his office to reach out to the Kremlin and proposed a senior official to make contact. Costa said his aim was not to mediate or set up a parallel negotiating track to the one led by the United States, which is making .
鈥淲e needed to immediately establish this direct contact,鈥� Costa said, clarifying that Brussels would not seek to mediate in negotiations but rather open communications.
鈥淲e cannot depend only on others to interpret Russian messages and we must be able to convey directly to Russia our own messages,” he added.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she supported Costa’s approach because 鈥渙ur entire continent is at risk, and this is why Europe must be one of the architects of a just and lasting peace.”
An unresolved disagreement over diplomacy
Debate has been swirling around Europe in recent months about whether to appoint a mediator for talks with Russia to help get things moving again, but this has been largely rejected as many believe that Russian President Vladimir Putin would be unlikely to negotiate anyway.
Instead, the 27 EU countries have focused on that Russia should make to secure peace.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stressed that peace negotiations must ultimately be conducted by Ukraine, Russia, Europe and the U.S.
鈥淲ho speaks for the European Union is something we don鈥檛 need to decide on today,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e will decide on that when talks come about.鈥�
He added that Costa has 鈥渁n important to role to play鈥� as president of the European Council, representing the EU, preparing and organizing summits, and 鈥渨e don鈥檛 need to make decisions going beyond that at the moment.鈥�
Merz highlighted efforts to coordinate diplomacy by the so-called E3 group of countries 鈥� Germany, France and Britain 鈥� a format that he said came about 鈥渁t the explicit wish of Ukraine.鈥�
French President said 鈥淓uropeans are not mediators鈥� in the negotiations but that “Costa, when the competencies are defined, will have a place.”
Margus Tsahkna, foreign minister of Estonia 鈥� a nation on the EU鈥檚 eastern flank that has faced drone incursions and was once occupied by the Soviet Union 鈥� said that 鈥淓urope must not assume the role of a neutral mediator鈥� but instead buttress Ukraine鈥檚 position to 鈥渇orce the Kremlin into serious negotiations.鈥�
Some nations support Costa’s backchannel proposal
As European leaders left overnight after the summit wrapped up, Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever joked that Costa would be the envoy to Moscow.
鈥淚 was just talking about you, Ant贸nio,鈥� De Wever said while laughing and shaking Costa鈥檚 hand. 鈥淚 was full of praise, saying you are the only one who can represent us and that we will send you to Moscow.鈥�
Irish Prime Minister Miche谩l Martin said that 鈥渙pening up a channel is not a mistake in our view, and I trust Ant贸nio Costa.鈥�
鈥淲hat was very clear last evening is that any negotiations would have to be first and foremost between Ukraine and Russia, but there are no indications that Russia is coming to the table at all,鈥� he said.
Speaking to reporters, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babi拧 said the leaders had failed at the summit to resolve their differences over the approach overnight. 鈥淓urope is unable to agree even on whether there will be negotiations or who will lead them,鈥� he said.
Russia responds publicly to the overture
Putin has tried to cut out Europe and Kyiv from negotiations with the U.S. over Ukraine鈥檚 future. But the Kremlin said on Friday it was 鈥渞eady for contact鈥� with Europe, on the condition it abandon its desire to talk to Moscow from the position of force.
At the same time, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov argued that the EU can not be an impartial peace broker. He again rejected Western claims that Moscow was harboring plants to attack Europe as 鈥減rovocation鈥� and 鈥渘onsense鈥� while warning that Europe鈥檚 military buildup poses growing security threats.
鈥淎 direct confrontation between NATO and Russia could rapidly escalate into an exchange of nuclear strikes, with catastrophic consequences,鈥� Lavrov said in an essay released by the Russian Foreign Ministry.
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Associated Press writers Geir Moulson in Berlin, Angela Charlton in Paris, and Karel Janicek and Stanislav Hodin in Prague, Czech Republic, contributed to this report.
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